


Beyblade: Metal Night

by WildeChild17



Series: not your ordinary family [9]
Category: Metal Fight Beyblade | Beyblade: Metal Fusion
Genre: 'what's one more?'-Kyoya, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Gingka is smarter than everyone gives him credit for FIGHT ME ON THIS, Kyoya is So Done, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Plot Twists, Post-Beyblade Metal Fury, Ryuga Lives, Some Humor, Some characters are OOC, another world ending catastrophe? so original, romance is a side plot but i thought i'd put the ships anyways, there are a lot of OCs in this one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:01:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 38,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24809710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildeChild17/pseuds/WildeChild17
Summary: "Can't we go longer than a few months without someone or something wanting to take over the world?!""Look at it this way, Kyoya. Two years is a record for us,"It's been two years since Nemesis was defeated. The world is slowly rebuilding from the devastation the god of destruction caused. Our heroes breathe a sigh of relief at having gone so long without another world ending event. The WBBA is ready to announce a new World Championships, and Bladers across the world are gearing up for it, ready to prove who's the best. Everything seems to to be going well.At least, until Dynamis tells the story of the goddess of the night, Nyx, and how her revival is just on the horizon. A new cast of heroes have to be found, and step up to the plate while also fighting for the number one spot in the world.Sounds simple, right?Oh, if only.
Relationships: Amano Madoka/Hagane Ginga | Gingka Hagane, Hasama Hikaru/Ryuga, Tategami Kakeru & Tategami Kyouya
Series: not your ordinary family [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589986
Kudos: 9





	1. Episode One: The Story of Nyx

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back! This is actually a rewrite of a previous fic of mine from FanFiction, and I hope you guys enjoy it!

“There they are. Dynamis! Tithi!” Tsubasa Ootori raised his hand into the air, waving to catch the two Legendary Bladers’ attention. Tithi noticed them first, cheering and weaving through the crowd towards the trio standing on the curb.

“Tithi!” Yuu Tendo bounced up and down, meeting his friend in a hug, “It’s good to see you, buddy!”

“It’s good to see you too, Yuu! I’m so excited to be back here! Do you think we can battle later?” Tithi, Legendary Blader of Venus, was practically vibrating in excitement.

“Oh, you know it!” Yuu grinned.

A groan caught the two young teens’ attention, and they turned in sync to see one Kyoya Tategami pinching the bridge of his nose. Tithi yelped and scrambled to put Yuu between him and the Leone Blader.

“You little brats… it’s not even been five minutes! Can’t you keep it down?!” Kyoya glared at them over the rim of his coffee cup.

“Kyoya…” Tsubasa sighed, exasperated, “It’s been a while since they’ve seen each other. They’re entitled to be a little loud.”

“It’s not even nine in the morning yet, though! Kakeru’s not this loud and he’s one of the most energetic people I know!”

“Oh, pipe down, Yoyo,” Yuu frowned. “You aren’t exactly the best person to be around on a Saturday morning, either.”

“What?! You little runt, take that back-“

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Dynamis said, amused, as he finally joined the group. He adjusted the bag over his shoulder, “Tithi, how many times do I have to tell you not to run off without telling me where you’re going?”

“Sorry, Dynamis. I got excited!” Tithi smiled up at his guardian. Dynamis rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Then I guess, it’s understandable, this time,” Dynamis mused.

“It’s good to see you again, Dynamis,” Tsubasa said, holding his hand out. Dynamis shook it, smiling a little.

“I wish, it were under better circumstances,” Dynamis sighed. “It seems, every time we see each other, it’s because of a competition or, in this case, a potentially world ending catastrophe.”

“You were pretty vague in the video call,” Kyoya pushed aside his annoyance to the two younger teens for a moment, stepping up join the conversation. “Pretty much all you said was that you were getting on the next flight here to Japan and you needed to talk to Gingka and Ryo as soon as possible.”

“Indeed,” Dynamis nodded. He glanced around, warily, “So, if it’s not too much trouble, perhaps we could get going? I promise, I’ll explain everything to you once I’m sure we’re away from where anyone could possible listen in.”

Tsubasa and Kyoya shared a look, before Kyoya pulled a set of keys from his pocket, “Best we get going then. Director’s waiting on us, after all.”

Tsubasa nodded, and turned, “Yuu. Tithi. Come on now, you two can chat while we drive.”

* * *

“Dynamis!” Gingka Hagane exclaimed, the redhead’s ever present smile on his face when he noticed his fellow Legendary Blader enter the office, “And Tithi too!”

“Gingkie!” Tithi squealed, and rushed forward to hug the redhead.

“Oof, you’ve gotten big Tithi! And strong too! Has it really been that long?”

“It's been a while, Gingka,” Madoka Amano said, dryly.

“Gingka can we battle?” Tithi looked up, puppy eyes in play.

“Uh… Maybe later, Tithi,” Gingka laughed. “Right now, uh, the adults kind of need to talk.”

Tithi pouted, “But Gingkie…!”

“I’ll be more than happy to take you boys out for ice cream,” A voice spoke up, and all heads turned to see a teen rise from one of the couches nearby. He had red hair, but the roots were black, and piercing blue eyes. He pulled a messenger bag over his shoulder, and gave the group a small smile, “I think it’s best someone watch them at least.”

“Really, Akira?” Tsubasa asked, skeptically, “You sure you can keep up with these two on a sugar rush?”

Akira Akuryo raised an eyebrow, and looked at the two young teens, “I know Kenta is down at the Bey park, if you want to see him too.”

Both Yuu and Tithi let out twin cheers, and rushed out the door. Akira laughed and followed them, “I’ll call if they get to be too much. But come on guys, let them be kids before they become too aware of the next potential world ending disaster.”

“Your father helped in two of them,” Kyoya rolled his eyes, ducking when a pen went flying towards his head. “Hey!”

“You know the rules Tategami. Keep your mouth shut about he who shall not be named,” Akira deadpanned, and then smiled and waved as he walked out the door. “Later guys!”

Once the door was shut, the mood in the office shifted from the light-hearted one it was, to a more serious one. Dynamis took the time to survey the people gathered: Ryo and Gingka Hagane, Hikaru Hisama, Madoka Amano, Yuki Mizusawa, Ryuga Katashi, Kyoya Tategami, and finally Tsubasa Ootori.

“I’m sorry for gathering you all on short notice,” Dynamis said, sorrowfully. “But as soon as I realized the stars were aligning, I knew I had to tell you about this.”

“Hey, what’s another world ending catastrophe? We’ve handled how many now?” Kyoya asked, “Two? Three if we count Ryuga and the Dark Power?”

Ryuga glared at him, “You’re not that funny, you know.”

“Now, because you said this would be another global thing,” Ryo spoke up, and turned to the computer screen behind him. He clicked a button, and several tabs appeared, each one an open video feed with most members of the Legendary Bladers, and a few of the World Championship Bladers, “Thank you all for waiting, and I apologize if some of you are sacrificing your sleep schedules for this.”

“No trouble at all,” Da Xiang Wong of Wang Hu Zhong spoke. Next to him was Aguma Ji, and Kuro Blackheart.

“What’s sleep?” Zeo Abyss asked, dryly. The rest of Team Dungeon was with him, including King, Chris and Christina Cadelle. Zeo cracked a grin, “Nah, you’re fine. It’s just after eight here.”

“Oh, mood,” Nile Storm muttered. “Neffy is gonna kill me when she discovers me being up this late.

Kyoya snorted.

“Time is an illusion,” Julian Konzern sighed, deep bags under his eyes.

“Nero?” Kuro asked, with a wolfish smirk.

“He’s grounded and no I will not say why,” Julian deadpanned. “He gets so upset when Lucas isn’t here, and I blame that on the fact he practically worships the ground Luke walks on. Now, what’s this about another global threat?”

Trust the business man to get straight to the point. Dynamis cleared his throat and stepped forward.

“Yes, well, I’ll put it simply… another deity of evil is set to rise within the next five months,” Dynamis began. “This one… Is Nyx, goddess of the night. Where as Nemesis set out to cause destruction and raise the Black Sun, Nyx is different. When history repeats itself, she’ll set out to cause a never ending night over the world.”

“Never ending night… that sounds significantly better than the world falling into chaos,” Aguma mused. Next to him, Kuro shook her head.

“Think again, big guy,” Kuro said. “Never ending night means no sun. No sun means nothing can grow. You’re talking about famine and death coming in within weeks.”

Yuki nodded, “Miss Kuro is right. Also, a never-ending night implies the moon will be brought into the equation. The moon controls the ocean’s high tides. If a never-ending night does in fact come into fruition, we’re talking about rising water levels and floods globally as well.”

“Not to mention the change in gravity,” Julian commented. At the looks he received, “Hey, I can control gravity with just a few words, don’t look at me like that. Going off of what Yuki said, the gravitational pull of the moon with the ocean tides will also change the gravity on Earth as well. Instead of being focused on one point, it’ll pull harder on the entire Earth’s surface itself.”

“Okay, so how do we prevent this from happening?” King asked, “Is this another Legendary Blader deal?”

“Not a Legendary Blader situation, I’m afraid,” Dynamis shook his head with a sigh. “But the Elemental Seven.”

There was a beat of silence.

“Care to elaborate?” Nile asked, tiredly, “Who are the Elemental Seven?”

“A set of warriors that originally defeated Nyx, back when she first made herself known,” Dynamis explained. “Seven Bladers, each of them with the power of a certain element on their side: Earth, Nature, Death, Life, Water, Air, Fire, and Darkness.”

“That’s eight,” Kyoya pointed out.

“Darkness was the fraction of power that went to Nyx’s guardian herself, so I can expect the same for this situation,” Dynamis told him.

“Like what happened with King Hades and Nemesis,” Chris commented, thoughtfully. “How do we find these Bladers, now?”

“An upcoming meteor shower, within the next week. It’s called Perseids Shower,” Dynamis said. “At the max peak of this shower, the Seven’s elements will reveal themselves. A comet will fly over the chosen warrior, but unfortunately, it will not be a star fragment like it was for we of the Legendary Bladers. The comets themselves will have a specific color to them show off the element, and I can’t say there will be any ‘evolutions’ to the Bey itself, only an increase in power.”

“Any idea what the colors will be? So we have a way to narrow down the element we’re looking for in each country?” Julian questioned.

“I’m afraid not,” Dynamis sighed. “But, considering we’re on a shorter time crunch to find these Bladers than we were for the Legendary Bladers, we should figure out a way to find them faster and train them so they are prepared. After all, some of us only had a couple of weeks between when the star fragment awakened and when we battled Nemesis to get where we needed to be.”

A few glances towards Chris where given. Chris glared at every member of Team Dungeon, “Don’t be giving me that look, how was I supposed to know I was the Winter Blader?!”

“How about… _Orion_?” Christina asked her twin, sarcastically. She ducked when he tried to swat her upside the head.

“Not to mention, our less than stellar… teamwork,” Dynamis said. This time, looks towards Aguma, Kyoya, Ryuga, _and_ Chris were given. Ryuga and Kyoya glared, Chris sighed in defeat, and Aguma had the decency to look ashamed.

“But we should stay on the look out for abnormal, or brighter than usual, colors in the comet shower as it passes over the globe,” Yuki commented. “And tell everyone who isn’t present here currently about it, as well.”

“I’ll call Ryuto,” Ryuga sighed.

“I’ll be sure to tell Aleksi and the Russian team,” Madoka nodded.

“And I’ll pass the message on to the rest of Excalibur,” Julian said.

“Quick question,” Kyoya raised a finger. “Is there going to be another Hades Curse situation? Like what happened with you?”

“The Curse of Death,” Dynamis answered. “The user of the element of Death may feel a pull to join Nyx, only because his or her element is something that Nyx could use to her advantage. Whoever the element of Death ends up being, we should keep a close eye on for any changes in personality or who their associates may or may not be.”

“Lovely,” Nile muttered. “Now, next order of business: How do we find these guys on such short notice?”

“I believe I have an answer to that,” Ryo spoke up, having listened to the conversation up until this point. He crossed his arms, “However, what I tell you can’t be told to anyone besides those you trust, since it’s confidential WBBA information, as of now.”

“What is it, dad?” Gingka asked.

Ryo inhaled deeply, “There’s going to be a new Beyblade World Championships, with the championships starting in roughly three weeks.”

A pin could be heard in the silence that followed. Ryo rushed to be heard before the clamor could start.

“Anyone who previously competed in the World Championships can’t enter. The age limit has been raised to twenty one, and the Legendary Bladers that weren’t in the last tournament have already been secured a spot on almost every country’s team,” Ryo continued. “Yuki, you’ll be on the Japanese team.”

Yuki yelped and went red, stuttering nonsense.

“Dynamis, you’ll be on the African team,” Ryo looked at the Jupiter Blader, whose eyebrows had gone up.

“King, you’ll be on the EU team, since you’re from Greece, originally,” Ryo said, looking back up at the screen. “Chris, you’ll be on the American team, and so will Tithi. Aguma, you’ll be on the Chinese team. After that, there can be up to four other members on the team, plus a mechanic, so there could be a total of up to six members per team.”

“Oh, this is gonna be epic!” King cheered.

“Aw, no fair, that means I can’t compete!” Masamune whined.

“Da-ad, why didn’t you tell me this before?!” Gingka exclaimed.

“Why aren’t I on the Japanese team?” Ryuga frowned.

“Because you came in as Gan Gan Galaxy’s savior in the finals,” Ryo pointed out. “Also, all those who were in the qualifier tournaments can compete, but they aren’t guaranteed to get a spot. The WBBA board are discussing getting the numbers up for each qualifying tournament, so that at least more people will compete. The finals scores will be run, and those who haven’t previously competed will get the spots for each team.”

“Kenta’s gonna hate to hear that,” Madoka sighed.

“An interesting set up,” Julian mused. “But I see the reasoning behind this.”

“Like I said, tell no one of this unless you trust them to keep it to themselves. The official announcement doesn’t come for another two weeks, and the qualifiers start in three,” Ryo crossed his arms. “Am I clear?”

Ryo got various forms of affirmation, before he nodded. He turned to Dynamis, “Is there anything else you need to share with us?”

“Only that when the meteor shower happens, to be on the look out for meteors that stand out,” Dynamis sighed. “Let’s hope that we have better luck with defeating Nyx than we did with Nemesis, my friends.”

“There’s a big difference in between the Nemesis situation, and the Nyx situation,” Gingka said, smiling.

“And what’s that, Gingka?” Kyoya asked.

“At least this time, we know about her and can prepare for her.”

No one argued his statement, and with that, Ryo ended the conference call. 


	2. Episode Two: The Chosen Ones

"Kyoya? What are you still doing up?"

Kyoya jumped, startled, and whipped around. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw it was just Kakeru, stepping through the glass doors and out on to the balcony of their apartment. The younger was rubbing at his eyes, wrapped up in a blanket in the cool spring night air.

"Couldn't sleep. Too much paperwork and I'm still thinking about it," Kyoya answered, turning back to lean against the railing, eyes to the night sky. Stars shined overhead, barely visible through the night lights of Metal City, "What are you doing up?"

"… Nightmares," Kakeru said, quietly, and Kyoya glanced over as Kakeru sidled up next to him, drawing the blanket tighter over his shoulders.

"Want to talk about it?" Kyoya asked.

"If it's not about mom, it's about Doji or Nemesis," Kakeru muttered. "So what's the point?"

"Have you talked to your therapist about it?" Kyoya sighed.

"Have you?"

"I asked you first,"

"You're older,"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"It affects you more,"

"Oh, hey, look a shooting star!" Kakeru abruptly changed the subject, eyes wide as he pointed up at the sky.

Kyoya tilted his head back, and, sure enough, a shooting star was flying through the sky. He grinned, and ruffled Kakeru's hair, "Good eye. Make a wish."

"Woah… it's a meteor shower!" Kakeru breathed, as multiple shooting stars flew through the air.

Kyoya froze, jaw dropping a little as he watched the scene. Quickly, he tried to recall what day it was. Was it already the night of the Perseids shower? Dammit, when was the scheduled peak for this thing? Should Kyoya call someone? Who should he call? Yuki was probably his best bet…

Before Kyoya could turn to go find his phone, a bright light caught his attention. His head snapped up, eyes locking on to a comet directly overhead whose light trail glowed brighter than the others, and in a color that wasn't like that of the others. It was golden-brown, the shade familiar to Kyoya but from where, he couldn't remember…

The show lasted a few more minutes, both brothers transfixed on the scene. There was a few beats of silence before Kyoya shook himself out of it, "Talk about perfect timing, huh?"

"I guess so," Kakeru laughed, turning back to Kyoya with a small smile. "You going to stay up any longer?"

"… No," Kyoya decided, with great reluctance. If anything, he was more wired now, adrenaline and excitement pumping through him. Still, he could play up exhaustion and convince Kakeru to go back to bed himself before he had his crisis.

And that's exactly what he did. Kakeru got a glass of water and bid Kyoya goodnight. Kyoya gathered the files and papers that were gathered up on the glass coffee table, before he disappeared into his own room. He threw the papers on his desk and took a deep breath, fighting his rising anxiety.

_This is real, this is coming, this is happening, fuck it all-_ Kyoya began to pace, running his hand through his hair. _Another world ending event. Another world championships. All of this is building up to be a mix of both Ziggurat's plans and Rago's!_

Kyoya swiped his phone up off his bedside table, sitting down on the edge of his bed and pulling open the group chat he had been forced into.

**Yo-Yo:** Yuki, you up?

The reply came within seconds.

**Starman:** I am Mister Kyoya. I am assuming, since you're still awake and are asking for me, you saw the meteor shower as well?

**Yo-Yo:** Yeah. You saw the comet that stood out too?

**Starman:** Miss Madoka and I are already working on tracking it's trajectory. Dynamis said it would fall over the chosen warrior, so we are hoping we can narrow the suspects down by doing so.

**Yo-Yo:** Let's hope. Let me know what comes up.

**Starman:** Of course! Get some sleep Mister Kyoya. We'll probably have a meeting first thing in the morning.

Kyoya snorted as he shut his phone off. While he didn't deny the meeting part of Yuki's statement, he could say with certainty that he would not be getting any sleep for a while.

* * *

It was a weird day, Kyoya reflected, when we walked into the WBBA offices and learned that Ryuga was undergoing training to be an agent seven months ago. The Leone Blader had thought for sure that the idea to train Ryuga would go up in flames faster than Gingka could eat a five course meal, but he'd been surprised to hear how much progress Ryuga made. He beat and then set the best records when it came to his physical and psychological evaluations, just ahead of Tsubasa and Kyoya himself.

It had been an ever _weirder_ day when Ryuto Katashi stormed the building- literally and figuratively, a thunderstorm announcing his arrival and the famous Katashi temper roaring- and demanded he talked to his brother. 'Talking' ended up being a two hour screaming match that no one was willing to try and break up with a ten foot pole. Eventually, Ryo and _Gingka_ of all people had stepped in and put an end to it before it could get even worse. Whatever it was that had set the two Katashi's off had been resolved in a matter of minutes. _No one_ decided to question it.

Weirder _still_ though, was when Ryuga started office work. Kyoya half expected him to set fire to the paperwork and demand to be put in the field. He was stupefied when that didn't happen. Instead, Ryuga took to the schedule and the job like a duck to water. Just a few months after Ryuga's hiring, the board had decided he was qualified for field work, and yet again, Ryuga set a record for fastest promotion.

But what put the icing on the proverbial cake, in Kyoya's opinion, was how easily Ryuga adjusted to domestic life. He didn't scream at those who annoyed him- not like he would have two years ago- or belittle them- actually, he did, but only to those who really deserved it. Kyoya liked to sit back and watch it happen when it did- and when Ryuga was assigned as a member of Kyoya and Tsubasa's group, Tsubasa had laid the ground rules.

"If you two have a problem with each other, get it out of your systems now. I'm not willing to jeopardize assignments and work because you two can't work your shit out," Was Tsubasa's exact words.

Kyoya just raised an eyebrow, "So, Doji, huh?"

Ryuga snorted, replying in a voice full of sarcasm, "So, brothers, huh?"

And that had been that. Now, almost five months later, the trio worked together like a well oiled machine, working as one of the best teams the Japanese WBBA branch had ever seen. Still, there were some moments…

"… There was full pot of coffee in here forty five minutes ago,"

Kyoya didn't bother to deign Ryuga's comment with a response. He sipped at his third full to-go cup of coffee and raised an eyebrow. By now, he was used to Ryuga's snips about his coffee intake, and frankly, he couldn't give a damn.

Slowly, Ryuga turned his head to look at Kyoya, just staring at him. Kyoya met his gaze and silently dared him to say something.

"How do you drink so much?" Ryuga finally asked, sounding as baffled as Ryuga could get before nine in the morning on a Wednesday. He set to work on brewing a new pot of coffee.

"Helps that I didn't sleep at all last night," Kyoya said.

"If that's the case, with how much coffee you go through, you must never sleep,"

"Not all of us can just pass out at the drop of a hat, your majesty,"

"Well, excuse me, your highness, for needing my beauty sleep,"

"Are you two ready to get to work?" Tsubasa poked his head into the break room, and he looked as tired as Kyoya felt.

"Son of a bitch, are all my coworkers insomniacs?!" Ryuga exclaimed, taking note of the bags under Tsubasa's eyes.

"No," Tsubasa sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he walked in. "A series of unfortunate circumstances have allowed Yuu in on the secret of the Elemental Seven and he interrogated me until one o clock this morning about if and when I was going to tell him about it."

"Ouch," Ryuga commented, deadpan. Unlike the other two, he didn't live with a young charge who could pester him, living by himself just a few blocks away.

"… Which means that Kenta will know before the day's up, since they go to the same school," Tsubasa pointed out, and the horror that flooded Ryuga's expression was _glorious_ …

Until Kyoya remembered that Kakeru also went to the same school and he _knew_ he'd be getting a phone call about lunch time.

Kyoya groaned, already feeling a headache forming.

"A shared sentiment," Tsubasa sighed. "Come on. Let's get to work. Maybe we can ignore our impending doom if we get distracted enough by paperwork."

* * *

Kyoya's phone dinged at 11:31, just six minutes after the man knew Kakeru's lunch break started. He ignored it. It went off again at 11:37, then another at 11:42, and catching both Tsubasa and Ryuga's attention and forcing their stares on him.

Finally, at 11:45, AC/DC's _For Those About To Rock_ , split through the air, and Kyoya admitted defeat with a half sigh, half groan.

"Good luck," Tsubasa said, dryly, as Ryuga snapped a sarcastic salute.

With another sigh, Kyoya picked up his phone and coffee, and decided to clock out for lunch as he answered, "Yes, I knew, and yes, I was going to tell you."

" _Bitch_ ," Kakeru was fuming, and Kyoya could just imagine the steam coming off his brother's head. "Why didn't you just tell me the day you found out instead of keeping it from me?!"

"Because, I wanted to get all my facts straight before I said anything," Kyoya groaned, as he waited on the elevator. "People are still reeling from Nemesis, what are they gonna do when they find out another monster of mass destruction wants to take over the world?"

There was a beat of silence. The elevator doors opened and workers poured out, and Kyoya filed in, thankfully alone.

"Kakeru?" Kyoya asked as the doors slid shut.

"Uh, what are you talking about?" Kakeru finally spoke.

"I'm talking about Nyx, what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the World Championships, so where the hell are you getting another world ending disaster to happen?!"

… _Fuck._

"Uh…"

"Kyoya?!"

Kyoya hung up and put his brother on mute. He took several deep breaths and forced himself to walk when the elevator opened on the ground floor. Then, he called Tsubasa.

"That was fast," Tsubasa commented, when he picked up. "What did he say?"

"He was talking about the _World Championships_ and I was spilling about _Nyx_ ," Kyoya said, after a moment. "I'm taking the rest of day off and sleeping so I can prepare for Kakeru's inevitable blow up when he gets home."

"Oh Kyoya," Tsubasa sighed. "Fine. Ryuga and I will keep you updated on the situation otherwise."

Distantly, Kyoya heard, "What did the hair brained bastard do _now_?"

For once, Kyoya decided not to argue Ryuga's insult.

* * *

Ryo called a meeting not too long after lunch. The people gathered were the same as the ones who were there when Dynamis first arrived in Japan just a few days earlier.

"Where's Kyoya?" Akira asked, swiping his bangs out of his eyes.

"Preparing for war," Ryuga replied, putting an extra foot between him and the teen. It wasn't that Ryuga _didn't_ trust him… He was just wary of the kid, considering who his dad was

Akira didn't seem to take offense, only raising an eyebrow, "Say again?"

"Kakeru found out about the World Championships from Yuu, but Kyoya thought he was talking about Nyx, and then confusion happened and now Kyoya is probably at home cat napping his way out of this meeting so he can brace himself for Kakeru's interrogation," Tsubasa sighed.

"Ah, that makes more sense," Akira nodded. "Wait… how did Yuu find out? You said you weren't gonna say anything about Nyx until after the Championships were announced?"

"I… believe that is my fault," Dynamis cleared his throat, looking sheepish. "I was with Tsubasa last night, and we were discussing both subjects, when we thought that Yuu and Tithi were asleep."

"They were not," Tsubasa muttered, darkly. He sighed and shook his head, "Director? What have you called us in for?"

"Ah, yes!" Ryo perked up, "We've finally managed to get reports on all the meteors we needed to know about." He turned and clicked a button on his keyboard, and several video calls opened up on the big screen, a few more than last time, "Aleksi, do you want to do the honors?"

Aleksi, Team Lovushka's leader, nodded, "Thank you, director. Since Madoka contacted us, we at the Russian Space Program have been waiting for the Perseids shower to pass over Earth. As Dynamis said, there were a total of eight that stood out, and a few that veered off course from the projected trajectory of the shower itself. Here are some pictures."

As images began to show up on screen, Aleksi continued to speak.

"Metal City, Japan," A golden-brown comet appeared on the screen.

"We had one pass over Moscow, Russia," A purple colored comet blazed through the sky.

"One passed over both Beylin Temple and Yumen, China," A comet, silver in color, glowed brightly.

"Dwarka, India," A comet, nearly identical to the one over China, showed up, but this one was much lighter and whiter in color.

"One over Cairo, Egypt," One that was similar to the one from Japan showed up, except it was much more of a golden color.

"Venice, Italy," A red meteor showed up.

"London, England," A royal blue streak of fire and rock.

"And finally, New York, USA," The final comet, green in color, showed up on screen.

"So now that we know the locations, how do we find them?" Wales Reynolds, of Team Excalibur, was the first to speak up. Next to him, a younger look alike sat, icy eyes piercing even through the computer screens.

"Who knows? Dynamis said there wasn't a guarantee of any Bey evolutions, not like with the Legendary Bladers," Madoka commented, and the groups all dissolved into theories and conversation from there.

Eventually, Ryo managed to quiet everyone, bringing their attention back to him, "Well, I guess there's only one way to find these Elemental Seven."

Practically everyone held their breath, as Ryo grinned broadly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines! It's time for a new World Championships!"

* * *

Kyoya woke up to the sound of someone in the kitchen, and the smell of katsudon cooking. It took a moment to realize he had slept through his alarm and that the sun was setting outside. Cursing, he launched to his feet, ignoring the crick in his neck that had come from passing out on the couch.

At the same time, Kakeru poked his head out into the living room. The two stared each other down.

"Dinner's ready," Kakeru finally said, voice quiet, and ducked back into the kitchen. "Hope you're hungry! I'm guessing you skipped lunch."

Kyoya's stomach growled at him, and Kyoya sighed in defeat, and trudged to the kitchen. Kakeru set a bowl of katsudon on the kitchen island, right at Kyoya's normal seat, before turning back to put a bowl together for himself.

They were silent, as they picked at their food. Eventually…

"So what about-"

"I'm sorry I didn't-"

They both started at the same time, before cutting off and staring at each other again. Kakeru gestured with his chopsticks, "You first."

Kyoya sighed, "I should have waited to see what you were talking about before spilling my guts this afternoon."

Kakeru nodded and just watched him.

"You were talking about something else other than what I was told you would know about," Kyoya continued. "I… was planning on telling you about both things."

"So, here we are, a few hours later, and I'm still confused," Kakeru said. "Mind clearing everything up for me?"

So, Kyoya did. Over dinner, and as the two worked together to clean and put away the dishes.

"So… last night's meteor shower?" Kakeru asked, once Kyoya finished explaining everything.

Kyoya nodded, pouring up a cup of tea for himself, "Yeah. Someone in Metal City."

"And you're hoping… the World Championships will draw all of the Elemental Seven out?"

"Yeah. I haven't checked my messages yet, but I'm sure there was some meeting about the location of the other Seven… plus the bearer of Nyx," Kyoya sighed.

"Only message I saw was from an unknown number," Kakeru mumbled and when Kyoya glanced at him, he went red. "I, uh, sorta turned your alarm off when I got home and saw you passed out. Figured you needed the sleep more than a confrontation with me. I got my homework done and cooked dinner, and it helped me cool my own head, so, uh, yeah…"

_When did my little brother grow up?_ Kyoya thought, shaking his head.

"Good on you, then," He said. "Anything else either of us need to tell the other?"

"Mm… not on my end, but uh…" Kakeru shifted on his feet, looking nervous, "Can… I ask a favor of you?"

"Depends…" Kyoya drawled, "What is it?"

"Will you help me train for the Championships?" Kakeru blurted out, then hastily continued, "I mean, I know you're busy with work and all, and you don't get home until after I do. I just… I thought, I mean-"

"Slow down and breathe," Kyoya rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'll help you. I got some vacation time saved up, I can take a few days off. But!" He interrupted whatever Kakeru was about to say, "Only if you do your homework in class or as soon as you get home. I expect your grades to stay up, otherwise, I'm not even letting you compete, understand?"

Kakeru nodded, bouncing on his feet, "Yep, yes, understood, you got it boss."

"And don't call me that," Kyoya swatted Kakeru upside the head.

Kakeru grinned, "You got it. Hey, do you mind if I go down to the Bey park for a bit?"

"You said your homework's done? You don't have any tests or quizzes to study for?"

"Yep, and nope,"

"In that case, be back before eight," Kyoya said, and Kakeru grinned, hugged him, and was flying out the door in less than a minute. Affectionately, Kyoya muttered, "Brat."

With the dinner put away and dishes done, Kyoya picked up his tea and walked into the living room, falling heavily on to the couch with a sigh. He flipped the tv on, finding an old rerun of Battle Bladers, and let it play while he picked his phone up. He had a few new messages.

**Tsubasa  
** _We know the general location of the rest of the Elementals. Ryuga and I'll fill you in tomorrow.  
_ **1:29 PM**

Kyoya fired off an affirmative text, and went to the other unread messages, all of them from the same person.

**Unknown  
** _Heyyy, Kyoya. Listen I've got a question for you.  
_ **3:27 PM**

**Unknown  
** _Oh, shit, you don't know who I am  
It's uh, Ryuto.  
Ryuga's brother?  
Anyways, text me back when you get this, it's important…  
_ **3:35 PM**

Kyoya took a fortifying sip of his tea, changed Ryuto's contact name, and answered.

**Kyoya  
** _How did you get my number?  
_ **6:26 PM**

**Ryuto  
** _Oh good you didn't block me  
Also don't ask questions you don't want the answer to  
_ **6:30 PM**

**Kyoya  
** _Does Ryuga know you break the law, then?  
_ **6:31 PM**

**Ryuto  
** _No, and let me keep it that way. Bad enough I'm a treasure hunter and not an actual Blader.  
_ **6:33 PM**

**Kyoya  
** _I'm barely paid enough to deal with your brother, don't add family issues to it. What do you want?  
_ **6:35 PM**

**Ryuto  
** _Right  
Uh, how did you tell Kakeru you were a Legendary Blader and needed to go off and save the world? I have a hunch on a member of the Seven, but they have an older sibling who's a bit… over protective.  
_ **6:39 PM**

**Kyoya  
** _I didn't. I ended up getting chewed out by him when we got back to Japan and he didn't talk to me for a week afterwards. It upset him a lot and I think I'm still paying for it.  
_ **6:41 PM**

**Ryuto  
** _Oh.  
_ **6:45 PM**

Kyoya took another sip of his tea, and glanced up at the tv screen. He winced. Of all the battles, it was his and Ryuga's playing. He turned his attention back to his phone, and stared for a second, before deciding, screw it, and hit the call button. Ryuto picked up after five rings.

"Wha-"

"I'd say go ahead and get it over with," Kyoya cradled the phone between his ear and shoulder, as he picked up the remote to change the channel. "Ryuga will have more time to get over you being a member of the next world saving group the sooner you get it over with."

Silence met his statement, "How…"

"I have a brother your age. I'm fluent in the language of 'I have a friend'," Kyoya deadpanned. "How did you figure it out?"

"… I'm honestly not completely sure I _am_ one," Ryuto sighed, sounding tired. Kyoya empathized, "Just… when the comet passed over India, Dragonis started glowing, like it did in the final battle with Nemesis and I thought 'there's no way this can be coincidental', so I decided I'd ask."

"Did you mention the glowing Bey thing in today's meeting?"

"No…" Ryuto trailed off, "And neither did anyone else, so I… Kyoya, I don't know. I just… I figured I'd ask you on the off chance. You were the only one I could think of _to_ ask."

"Okay, point there," Kyoya sighed. "Have you noticed any changes in Dragonis since last night?"

"No. No evolutions, no sudden power surges… I know this isn't a whole 'star fragment' deal, but could Dragonis just be reacting to another end of the world thing?"

"Could be," Kyoya shrugged. "But Leone didn't glow and I carry him everywhere with me." Kyoya paused on an old movie, the first Fast and Furious, and left it on, "Dragonis… what's her element?"

"Uh… lightning? Inclement weather?"

"Doesn't sound like any of the elements we're looking for. Honestly, I think you're in the clear. Could have just been a fluke of some sort. Maybe your Blader's spirit subconsciously got fired up, since the World Championships are coming up. Ryuga said he mentioned it to you," Kyoya mused. "You gonna try for it?"

"I don't know… I'm not Ryuga…"

"And Kakeru isn't me, but he's already training for it,"

Ryuto was silent for a moment.

"I'm from Japan originally, so I guess I'd have to come and try to qualify for the Japanese team, huh?"

"I'm from Japan and yet I got on the African team. Don't you have enough contacts you can get some stuff changed around? It's actually a pretty simple process,"

"Are… are you saying I should lie on _government forms_ about my origins?"

At that, Kyoya grinned.

"You were the one who said you already break some laws. What's a few more?"

* * *

It was another week before the announcement everyone was waiting on was made.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Beyblade world! Hold on to your hats because I've got an announcement that just might blow them away! As you know, it's been almost a year since the last major tournament in any country! Well, that's all about to change because I'm here to tell you now, the WBBA has just confirmed that there will be another World Championships! And even better, it's to start in just a few weeks' time, with the first of the qualifiers being in USA starting on May twenty-fifth! So, get ready Bladers, because it's time to _go global_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah yes, a kyoya centric chapter. perfect.


	3. Episode Three: The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the qualifiers begin!

The following weeks _flew_ by. Every free moment that people weren’t preparing for the Championships, they were talking about it or going about daily routines. Those of the WBBA, those privy to the information at least, were still tracking down every lead about Nyx that they could. Eventually, Dynamis had to go back to Africa to prepare for the tournament, and Tithi reluctantly went to America to join the Americans.

“Come on then, ‘Keru! Show me what you’ve got!”

“Chimera! Special Move, Battering Ram!”

“Leone! King Lion Crushing Fang!”

“Interesting, very interesting…” Akira muttered, typing frantically at his laptop, “Leone’s defense is still the best I’ve ever seen.”

“But since he’s started training, Kakeru’s stamina and attack power have increased drastically,” Madoka finished, eyes on her own computer screen. She laughed a little and shook her head, “It’s quite the improvement in just a short amount of time.”

“Seems like you’ll have your hands full with the new team, if Kakeru’s on it,” Akira commented.

“Oh, I’m not gonna be the mechanic this time. You are,” Madoka said, off handedly.

_Akira.exe has stopped working._

“What?!” Akira yelped, nearly dropping his computer, “Wha- Why- Me?!”

Madoka leveled him with a look, “Um, yes, who else?”

“Literally- anyone else! I’m not qualified to be a mechanic for a team of world class Bladers!”

“You’re as qualified as I am,” Madoka shut her laptop. “And I can’t go. I’ll be too busy here, helping to keep tabs on the Seven and with the B-Pit.”

“But- But- But- What about Japan’s image?!”

“What about it?”

“Madoka,” Akira breathed, softly. He glanced around the park, no one paying the two analysts any mind in favor of watching the Tategami brothers go at it. He looked at Madoka, and lowered his voice even more, “I’m Doji’s _son._ What will the world think when they find out I’m on the team?!”

“It’s not like you’re _battling_ ,” Madoka waved a hand. “It’s not like your parents matter. You’re your own person, you know that, and you’re certainly not like your dad.”

“But- But- But-“ Akira spluttered.

“I’ll hear none of it,” Madoka said, firmly. “You’re going to be the mechanic for the new Japanese team in this World Championships, am I clear?”

Akira winced, and sighed. He knew better than to argue with Madoka, unless he wanted to risk her wrath.

“Alright fine… but I’m not happy about it,” Akira pouted.

Just a few yards away, Leone sent Chimera flying, and Kakeru erupted into a flurry of curses. Akira thought the scene summed his situation up quite nicely.

* * *

“You’re still staring at that flyer with that strange look of despair and excitement,”

Nile Storm sighed, “Yeah, I am, huh?”

Nefertiti Storm raised an eyebrow, and turned back to washing the dishes in the sink, “You didn’t seem very surprised when the new Championships were announced, or when the rules were given.”

“Kind of a no brainer though, on the rules,” Nile muttered. “As for not being surprised… I… kinda already knew because of…” Nile paused, and hesitated.

“Because of what?” Nefertiti asked.

Nile was silent long enough for Nefertiti to turn and give him a look, “Nile?”

“You know how Dynamis had to suddenly leave a couple of weeks ago?”

“Yes,” Nefertiti answered.

“Well… funny story, actually…”

Within the next hour, Nefertiti found herself breaking out the wine and pouring herself a glass. She also decided to forgo her diet and dig into her chocolate stash.

“I knew it had been too quiet recently. Nothing good ever comes from quiet where our friends are concerned,” Nefertiti grumbled. “So what, the World Championships is a way to weed out the Seven?”

“Essentially,” Nile nodded, sighing. “I mean, there’s no way I am one, but someone in Cairo is. Not to mention, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t enter the tournament.”

“You have to admit, the rules make sense,” Nefertiti told him, gently.

Nile froze, and slowly looked up. He had a look in his eyes, and Nefertiti could already feel dread rising up in her, “Nile, whatever you’re thinking, the answer is-“

“You can compete, though,” Nile said, and Nefertiti could _see_ the plan unfolding in her little brother’s mind. “You’re still able to, according to the rules! You’re twenty!”

“I’m _rusty_ ,” Nefertiti corrected, and downed the rest of her wine. She stared at the empty glass, and poured herself another.

“At least enter the qualifiers!” Nile pleaded, leaning over the dining table a bit, “Please? Can you do that for me?”

“Nile…” Nefertiti groaned.

“If you get a spot on the team, there’s no guarantee you keep it! Not with the fact that they give you a bracelet and send the rest of the entrants after you for twenty four hours!”

That… was a good point.

“And if I make the team anyways?” Nefertiti sighed, tiredly.

“Then take the world by storm, Neffy,” Nile said, seriously. “Because that’s what we do, isn’t it?”

Nefertiti stared at him for a long, long moment, reflecting on his words. Eventually, she smirked and shook her head.

“Alright, Nile, I guess I can do that. Besides… you’re right. It doesn’t hurt to enter the qualifiers,” Nefertiti mused. “Okay. But keep in mind, I’m only doing this because you asked.”

Nile’s answering grin was almost too bright to look at.

* * *

“You nervous?”

“No,”

“You’re lying,”

“Shut up. You’re the one with a promised spot on the team! I have to fight for it!”

Chris Cadelle, Legendary Blader of Winter, laughed, dodging the punch to his shoulder. His sister, Christina “Crissie” Cadelle, glared and pouted, crossing her arms. In response, Chris ruffled her hair.

“You’ll do fine, CC,” Chris said. “The key is to not waste your energy. Go for the quantity, not the quality.”

“Again, easy for you to say,” Christina mumbled, shifting from foot to foot. “I’ve never competed in a tournament like this. What if I get so caught up in my head I panic and then lose? Oh, I definitely won’t get a spot on the team then!”

Chris sighed, and facepalmed, listening as Christina dissolved into anxious mutterings about all the possible outcomes of the Southern region’s qualifiers. He wondered if Team Dungeon was having to deal with Toby being a nervous wreck, in preparation for the Northeastern region’s qualifiers.

“Christina Cadelle,” Chris finally said, catching his sister’s attention. She stared at him, wide eyed, “You will do perfectly fine. In my opinion, you’re stronger than everyone here. And yes, I am biased, no, don’t interrupt me.” Chris cut her off as she opened her mouth, “I’ll be right up in the stands, cheering you on. Don’t focus on the what if’s, just go for it. You’ll knock everyone’s socks right off, you should know that. You have the skills and you got the power.”

“But…” Christina hesitated, taking in her twin’s words, before exhaling slowly and nodding, “Alright… yeah, you’re right. I’ve got this. I’m just overthinking things.”

“You really are,” Chris deadpanned, and let Christina’s punch connect with his shoulder this time.

“Shut it. I’m entitled to be overthinking things right now!” Christina snapped, and turned her gaze back to survey the crowd of Bladers and spectators filling the arena, “Hmm…”

“What?” Chris rubbed his shoulder, grimacing a little.

“That comet fell over New York, the one for whoever the member of the Seven is… Do you think they’ll actually enter the Northeastern qualifiers?”

“A tournament of this magnitude?” Chris snorted, “I’d be more surprised if they didn’t.”

The DJ’s voice caught the siblings’ attention, as well as every other person standing around.

“Ladies and gentlemen, let’s not waste any time! You’re here and here for a reason, weather it be to watch some Bey battles or to try and get that spot on our home team! We’ll begin the first round of battles in thirty minutes, so everyone who isn’t entered, get seated! Bladers, start your engines and get ready to rumble!”

Chris and Christina shared a look. Chris smirked and flashed his sister a thumbs up as he headed for the stands, “Knock ‘em dead, sis. I’ll be waiting on you.”

* * *

The day flew by, and so did the battles. Each round brought on stronger and stronger Bladers, but Christina took her brother’s advice: It wasn’t the quality of the battles that mattered, but the quantity. The rules were just as simple: there was a total of five rounds that lasted forty five minutes. Each round, the number of Bladers was cut in half, weeding out the strongest from the weakest and making it harder each time. Bladers would be able to challenge however many they could in those forty five minutes, and the number of Bladers they defeated only added to their score. Their score would be the variable that put them in whatever spot on the team.

The leader was Chris. The second was Tithi member, with first guard. There were two more spots left on team, plus whoever ended up being their mechanic. Christina was determined to get one of those two Blader spots. Frankly, she didn’t care if it was second guard or sub member. She just _wanted that spot._

“And after a blistering day of battles, it’s time, people! We started off with over five hundred entrants, and we’re down to the final fifteen! Let’s check out those scores to see who’s the one to look out for!”

Christina’s breath caught in her throat. She was in the top three, sitting solidly at number three, far ahead of number four, and just a few points behind number two.

“And you may be wondering, just how we’re going to figure who will be getting that spot on the team, with an odd number of Bladers. Well, the answer is simple: A battle royale!”

Christina cursed. But then, she paused, and considered. As a former Blader for Hire, events like these were always the ones that could push her strength to the limit, and to see where it was she needed to perfect her skills.

Christina pulled Nieth out of her case, and stared down at the shimmering gold facebolt design of the goddess of hunting. A crossed bow and arrow, with the crown of the Lower Kingdom of Egypt in the background. With a smirk, Christina raised her head to survey her competition. Unsurprisingly, a lot of eyes were on her, and Christina felt her smirk turn sharp. Consideration turned to wariness, and Christina knew, deep down, she had the final match in the bag.

* * *

In the stands, Chris munched on a carton of popcorn, unconcerned as he surveyed those that would be in the final match. There was a significant space of numbers between Christina and the person in fourth. He wasn’t too worried about the coming battle, but he had been surprised before, so he decided to stay cautious, at least for a few moments.

Hm, but the person in the first spot… Hunter Hart. Hart was a familiar name, but where had Chris heard it before…? He had nearly double the amount of points that Christina did.

Chris’ phone went off with several messages in quick succession. He felt his temple pulse with a building headache as he realized what the sudden influx could mean. With a sigh, he pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and opened up the group chat he had- unwillingly- been added to.

**#1 Annoyance:** TOBY DID IT! TOBY MADE THE TEAM! @WinterComes what about Christina? How’s her qualifiers going? Is she on the team? I bet she made the team!

**What does the fox say:** Settle down, Masamune. We’re all excited, but Chris and Christina are probably still in the middle of the qualifiers.

**The King:** Way to go Toby!

**#1 Annoyance:** King! Dude, how’s it going in Greece, man?! Has the EU’s qualifiers started yet?! Give us the details, man, don’t hold off!

**What does the fox say:** And there goes any peace and quiet…

**WinterComes:** They’re just fixing to start the finals here. It’s battle royale style. Whoever wins gets the spot. Christina’s number three of fifteen.

**To-to Toby:** Who’s number one?

**WinterComes:** Some guy named Hunter Hart. Name’s familiar, can’t place it though.

**WinterComes:** Congrats on making the team.

**What does the fox say:** Did you say Hart?

**WinterComes:** Yeah, why? You know him?

**What does the fox say:** Could be a coincidence, but with the way the name’s spelled…

**#1 Annoyance:** You’re thinking Damian too, huh?

**What does the fox say:** Yep.

**WinterComes:** I’m missing something. Who’s Damian?

**To-to Toby:** Damian Hart, from USA’s first World Championships. Leader of Team Starbreaker, overall sadistic monster. Didn’t you watch the World Championships?

**WinterComes:** … No. Kinda too busy being a sulking bastard and a Blader for hire.

**To-to Toby:** Fair enough. He only battled twice in the whole tournament. He defeated Team Excalibur single handedly, Gingka won in the finals against him. We found out later he battled Kyoya in the siege on Hades City and lost. He also put Tsubasa and Yuu in the hospital for a while before the finals match against GanGan Galaxy. Blindsided them while they were training.

**The King:** Team Excalibur huh? I’m staying with the Konzerns while the team is put together. Let me ask…

**What does the fox say:** KING DON’T!

Chris found himself staring at his phone, as the chat went silent. A few moments later, King came back online.

**The King:** Note to self, Nero Konzern is a scary dude. I barely said Damian’s name and he threw a freaking vase at me!

Chris sighed as the chat devolved into chaos from there, and turned his attention back to the stadium below as he heard the crowd begin to chant.

“Three!”

Oh, shit, was it already time for the finals?! Chris cursed at his distraction.

“Two!”

The Bladers were readying themselves, and Chris found his eyes locked on Christina, her expression serious. Just as quickly though, Chris’ eyes landed on the dark blue haired teen that was Hunter Hart. Was he truly related to Damian Hart…?

“One! Let it rip!”

* * *

In a matter of six minutes, it had gone from the top fifteen, to the top seven. At thirteen minutes, it was down to the final five, and the Bladers stood, surveying each other and debating their next move.

Christina made hers first. She spread her stance, stretching her arms out, “Neith! Special Move, Chameleon Cloak!”

Four other heads snapped down towards the dish, just in time to see Neith shimmer, and then disappear altogether. Christina relaxed, just a small margin.

_I’ll save my energy and wait them out. Whoever’s the final man standing is who I’ll fight_ , Christina decided, glancing around. Her move was apparently the trigger to start the battles again, as three of the five began going at each other.

Number four, or, in this case, the guy who come in at number one for the finals, was staring at her. Christina felt her insides squirm at the look he was giving her, like a predator staring down its prey and waiting for it to make the wrong move. Christina raised her chin, meeting emerald green eyes with narrowed violet.

“Tch,” He scowled. “All of you are a waste of my time. Hellhound! Special Move, Alpha’s Howl!”

Christina inhaled sharply as a dark red wolf-like creature appeared in the center of the stage, snarling. A ring of fire circled it’s neck, with manacles and broken chains hanging off all four ankles. The beast’s eyes flashed red in color, before it sat back on its haunches and let out an ear splitting howl.

Christina and the other Bladers clamped their hands over their ears, yelling in surprise. Wind bursts slammed into each Bey, and Christina silently willed her partner to avoid the bursts, both because it would certainly mean she’d lose the match, and reveal her position in the dish.

As it was, the other three finalists were tossed out, and the red beast vanished.

“Hmph,” The teen smirked. “I guess that decides it then! I’m going to be taking that spot on the American te-“

“Camouflage Neith, Arrow of Accuracy!” Christina shouted, sweeping her hand out.

Hellhound went flying through the air, and Neith revealed herself in the center of the Bey dish, spinning at a steady speed, glowing green.

“What?!” Her opponent snarled, “How did you avoid my attacks! Hound’s move should have sent you flying, you… you… you _whelp_!”

“Your first mistake was assuming I was like anyone else here,” Christina snapped. “Your second mistake is… do you know who I am?”

“Just some girl who I need to crush to achieve my goals,” He sneered.

“Wrong,” Christina planted her feet firmly. She pointed at herself, thumb to chest as she continued, “I’m Christina Cadelle. I’m not just any Blader. I’m Chris Cadelle’s sister. The Legendary Blader of Winter is the _leader_ of the American team. If anyone deserves that spot you want, it’s _me_. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do! Neith! Special Move, _Nature’s Fury_!”

Neith glowed green, the ground beneath her rumbling, as the goddess of hunting appeared in the air. A green maiden, dressed in golden armor. On Christina’s command, the beast knocked an arrow in her bow and let it fly. Halfway to it’s target, the single arrow split into multiple bursts of energy.

“Counter it, Hound!” The boy cried, eyes wide.

Christina smirked as the red beast appeared, “Too late!”

The arrows began to embed themselves into the ground just in front of Hound, small craters forming and sending Neith’s opponent scrambling back, further and further until he was right on the edge of the dish-

The final arrow met it’s mark. With a pained cry, Hound was sent flying through the air, arcing over his partner’s head and landing with a deafening _clink!_ on the concrete floor of the stadium, the silence of the crowd accentuating Christina’s win.

“ _There you have it, ladies and gentlemen! The next member of the American team for the World Championships, **CHRISTINA CADELLE**!_”

* * *

“Wales, dear do you think you can get your brother off the phone long enough so that he can eat breakfast?”

“Hmmm…” Wales Reynolds turned from the papers spread out in front of him, a new living room design for a client, and glanced through the dining room and into the living room.

“The same to you, Konzern. I’ll be sorely disappointed if you don’t end up on the EU team,” Wales heard his brother’s voice, Lucas Reynolds, full of fire and amusement. It was quickly followed by muffled laughter.

“Yeah, no, he’s toying with Nero,” Wales chuckled, and turned back to his mother. Alice Reynolds shook her head, exasperated, “Besides. He’s probably too nervous to eat. You know how he gets.”

“I do,” Alice sighed. “But he’ll need to keep his energy up if he wants to win the qualifiers. I had this same problem with you on the morning of yours.”

“No, you had the problem of me not getting any sleep the week of,” Wales pointed his pen at his mother.

“So at least, you finally admit that?” Alice raised an eyebrow, as she set a plate of food at the elbow of her oldest, “And could you put your work away? You’ll have plenty of time to sketch later. I’m going to get your brother to try and eat something.”

“Good luck,” Wales muttered, as he shuffled the papers away into a neat stack and dug into breakfast. His phone, setting just to his right, buzzed and lit up with an incoming message. Curious, he checked it.

**Julian  
** _Wales, do you have any idea what Lucas told Nero to have him so riled up? It’s not even nine yet.  
_ **7:31 AM**

Wales snorted.

**Wales  
** _Nope. But Lucas was up at six and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just as nervous as he probably is. Mom’s trying to get him to eat something and I’m just about going to bet that she’s fighting a losing battle.  
_ **7:33 AM**

**Julian  
** _Figures. Tell Lucas I wish him the best of luck in his qualifiers. I’m going to be busy trying to corral Nero into a some sort of calm…  
_ **7:35 AM**

**Wales**   
_Ah, let Nero be Nero. You and I both know that the more excited he is, the more focused he is. He’ll probably just blow everyone out of the water.  
_ **7:39 AM**

**Julian  
** _That’s what I’m afraid of.  
_ **7:41 AM**

“Wales Reynolds, you better not be on your phone!” Alice walked back in, Lucas in tow. She pulled a chair out and sat him down in front of a plate of breakfast.

“No ma’am,” Wales said, quickly, stuffing his phone under the papers he’d set aside.

“Good. Now, both of you, eat up. You have a big day!”

Wales and Lucas shared a look, as they dug into their breakfast.

_A bigger day than she has any idea about._

* * *

Lucas had the rules for England’s qualifiers memorized. There were six stadiums spread out across the country: Manchester, Liverpool, Plymouth, Brighton, London, and Cambridge. There were a total of eighty entrants allowed at each stadium, with only one winner from each stadium. Once the winners were decided, there would be a battle royal to decide England’s representative on the EU’s team.

And while Lucas was craving to get that spot, like every other Blader in the country, he also knew that he had to be on the lookout for someone of great power, someone who might qualify as a member of the Elemental Seven. Thankfully, according to the research that they had done and the information they had been told, both Lucas and Wales knew that the person they were looking for was in London.

“You keep an eye out on the ground, I’ll keep an eye out from the stands,” Wales had told him. “I’ll be cheering you on, little brother. Make me proud.”

_Sure, no pressure or anything,_ Lucas thought, bitterly. _It’s not like you weren’t on the EU’s team the last time the World Championships happened. It’s not like I don’t have a lot to measure up to. It’s not like I don’t have some people counting on me to get on the team._

With a tired, heavy sigh, Lucas pulled his Bey from his pocket. Snowstorm Khione, his trusted partner of almost eight years, ‘gifted’ to him by his father, when it was really just another way of controlling his youngest. Lucas shivered a bit, recalling the endless training sessions- if one could call them that- his father had put him through in order to build his power.

In the years after he had escaped his father’s abuse and found out what family really meant, Lucas had seen the change from when he was a scared little boy, to the teen he was now. He had friends, his mother and brother, and his own judgement to guide him.

_“It doesn’t matter how you got your partner,”_ Wales had told him once _. “What matters, is what you decide to do with her. Your power is no one else’s besides your own.”_

Khione’s icy blue energy ring seemed to glow in the mid morning sun. Lucas took another moment, staring down at his Bey, before gathering himself with a deep breath, and walking off to a nearby dish in preparation for the coming battles.

He had a qualifier to win.

* * *

By the time a lunch break was called at twelve thirty, the first half of the London qualifiers had been finished. Lucas had come out on top of all his battles in a mix of a display of unrestrained power and analytical defeats of his opponents. He barely felt any exhaustion, the fact that he had so many wins under his belt and still going strong making it feel like he was walking on air.

“Want a report from everyone else?” Wales asked, as they finally managed to sit down at a restaurant near the stadium.

“Sure, go for it,” Lucas shrugged, staring down at the menu.

“Sophie says she’s been watching what she can and that you’re looking cool and that Nero’s on fire,”

Lucas snorted.

“Julian is trying to do damage control because apparently King mentioned Damian this morning and Nero tried to kill him with a vase to the head,”

“Sounds like him,” Lucas commented.

“And after lunch, Italy’s semi finals start. There’s two rounds, and Nero’s in one of them, then the finals,”

“Of course he is,”

“Klaus has been on the phone with his cousin, who’s apparently gone to try out for the Australian team,”

“Australia has a team this year?”

“I know, shocking. Finally, Mom says she thinks she’s run off her clients with how much she’s been bragging on you,” Wales set his phone down with a flourish.

“And you?” Lucas glanced up at Wales through his bangs.

“I think you’re doing amazing,” Wales leaned back in his chair, smirking. “And when you and Nero get on the team, the EU will have yet another damn good tag team in its ranks.”

Lucas gave him a flat look, “Is that all you’re concerned about?”

“No!”

Lucas just raised an eyebrow.

“… Okay fine, but only because the EU remembers how good Sophie and I were! Plus, you two are better,” Wales huffed, crossing his arms.

“We are not,” Lucas rolled his eyes and shut the menu. He knew what he wanted.

“How many times have you beat Sophie and I in battle?”

At that, Lucas paused, thinking over Wales’ question. After a moment, he sighed, “Alright, so you have a point. But not every battle is gonna be a tag team match.”

“No,” Wales leaned forward. “But at least if it happens, you can go in in with the knowledge you’ll own them.”

“Prat,”

“Brat,”

Lucas huffed, and changed the subject, “Did you see anyone who could be a candidate for an Elemental?”

“Nope,” Wales sighed. “Maybe he or she isn’t here.”

“What Blader doesn’t enter a tournament of this magnitude?” Lucas asked, as a waitress approached them. They quickly gave their orders, and Lucas continued, “Do you think maybe they could have gone to a different stadium?”

“It’s possible,” Wales shrugged. “The slots here for the London qualifiers filled up pretty quickly.” Wales eyed him, “You’ve got your thinking face on. What’s going through that brain of yours?”

“I…” Lucas hesitated, “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Well, now you’ve got my attention,” Wales said. “Come on, spill. Tell me.”

“It’s a stupid thought,” Lucas sighed. “Just let it go.”

_Besides,_ Lucas mused to himself. _What are the odds that **I** could be the one we’re looking for? I’m not exactly ‘hero’ material…_

* * *

“We’re here, Bladers! The final match for England’s qualifiers! The winner of this battle goes on to represent this great country on the EU team! So let’s not waste another second and jump right in!”

Wales bit nervously at his thumbnail, surveying the group of six in the finals. They had to be powerful Bladers in order to get where they were, but most of them looked pretty… generic.

… Most of them. Lucas had gotten into the finals, and Wales ecstatic about that, if not freaking out a little. But one of the others, a girl about Lucas’ age, with black hair streaked blue, and in an outfit that… frankly reminded Wales of his younger teenage days.

“Three!” The crowd’s chanting snapped Wales from his musings, and he snapped to attention.

“Two!” Below, the Bladers readied themselves.

“One! Let it rip!”

It turned out, Wales, had a reason to be concerned about the girl. The group’s Beys had barely hit the ground before she was calling move. A flash of blue lit up the dish, and before the DJ could say a word, she had sent nearly every Bey in the finals flying.

The shocked silence that fell over the crowd was broken by the girl, her voice ringing clear through the air.

“Huh. You survived that? Guess you’re stronger than I thought you’d be,” She spoke, with a voice like crackling ice.

In the arena, Snowstorm Khione had switched into stamina mode. Stamina meant being able to absorb opponent’s attacks…

A silent order, on Lucas’ part, and Khione switched to attack mode.

… And attack mode meant taking that absorbed power and turning it into her own.

“Khione, Icicle Barrage!” Lucas called, and his partner obeyed. Glowing an icy blue, she began a barrage attack on her opponent, knocking them back further and further towards the edge of the stadium.

“Night Mare, hold your ground!” The girl shouted, and the cameras zoomed in just in time to see Khione’s opponent switch mode.

“That won’t work with me!” Lucas said, grinning, “Throw her off balance! Special Move, Black Ice!”

_There it is!_ Wales thought with a cheer, _He’s got her now!_

The Bey dish began to coat over in a layer of ice, Khione spinning steadily thanks to the extreme sharp performance tip, and then Night Mare, upon hitting the ice, began to wobble unsteadily.

“Wha- Night Mare!” The girl exclaimed, “Oh, you think you’ve got the upper hand, do you?! Cosmic Blast!”

Those words summoned Night Mare into existence. With a loud whinny, a dark blue horse with a flaming mane and tail appeared in the air.

Wales inhaled sharply at the sight, eyes wide.

From the expression on Lucas’ face, he was thinking the same thing Wales was.

_A member of the Seven?_

Night Mare’s jaw dropped, and unleashed a torrent of blue colored flames on the ice.

“Khione!” Lucas cried, startled.

“Nice try, gingersnap, but I’ve got this one in the bag. Where fire meets ice, ice always loses,” The girl smirked, hands on her hips.

“Only my brother can call me gingersnap,” Lucas said, coolly. “And I’m not done, not by a long shot! Khione, it’s time we end this!”

Lucas’ words alone had Wales pulling his jacket tighter around himself, burrowing his face into the collar in preparation of what was to come. Years of experience and being on the receiving end of Lucas’ attacks had him well aware that Lucas was about to pull out his strongest move yet.

“Special Move!” Lucas called, as his Blader’s Spirit roared to life around him, a shocking icy blue, “Snowstorm Khione, Winter’s Wrath!”

The air dropped in temperature, and the wind picked up, howling with a vicious, cold ferocity. In the stadium, Khione appeared: A light blue colored maiden, dressed in Greek robes and holding a staff topped with a glowing crystal. With a war cry, she raised said staff and brought it down on Night Mare’s head. The horse spirit went topping to the ground as an explosion and bright light filled the air.

Wales adverted his eyes for just a few seconds, before leaning forward, adrenaline pumping as he waited for the dust to clear…

“There he is, ladies and gentlemen! England’s representative for the EU team- let’s hear it for **_LUCAS REYNOLDS_**!”

Wales had never cheered so loud in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chat Names for the American Team  
> WinterComes: Chris  
> #1 Annoyance: Masamune  
> The King: King  
> To-to Toby: Toby  
> What does the fox say: Zeo  
> Huntress: Christina


	4. Episode Four: The Scorching Hot Trials

In Ryuto’s humble opinion, as a Blader…

He sucked.

Oh, make no mistake, he knew how to use Dragonis’ abilities to his advantage, especially when discovering old ruins and treasures lost to time. He knew how to read a situation, years of experience in figuring out who he could and couldn’t trust when it came to contracts. But he hadn’t entered a Bey tournament in ages! Not since…

Not since before Doji. Not since when everything went to hell.

After Doji had brainwashed his brother and turned him into the power hungry monster, Ryuto had run from Koma village and decided to pursue his own interests. Those interests included history and archeology and treasure hunting, and he had made a name for himself in the field. He’d donated thousands of dollars in lost treasures to museums across the world, only taking enough to put aside for himself.

(At his last count, Ryuto had a hefty seventy-five hundred thousand in his savings. He was beginning to debate which organizations could use a nice donation).

But now, there were a few too many things that had lead Ryuto to Africa, and to try out of the African World Championship team.

Number one: He was still unconvinced it was a coincidence that Dragonis had started glowing during the meteor shower that revealed the location of the Elemental Seven.

Number two: Kyoya had a point. It wouldn’t hurt to enter anyways.

Number three: Ryuto was sick and tired of being in his brother’s shadow. Ryuga wanted to look down on him for being a treasure hunter instead of a well known Blader? Well, suck it up Ryuga, Ryuto’s about to prove a point.

Number four: Ryuto honestly wanted to be stronger than he was. Since the star fragment, since Nemesis, Ryuto had felt… mediocre, compared to those who had saved the world. Hell, his own brother had nearly died in the final battle!

Ryuto… Ryuto really wanted to prove himself. He had his reasons, doing what he did, and anyone who had a problem with him could take a goddamn number and get in line.

Which was how Ryuto found himself in Rock City, Egypt, standing among a few dozen Bladers that were ready to fight for their spot on the African team. Standing in the shadows as he waited for the officials to announce the rules, Ryuto surveyed his competition. A lot of these Bladers didn’t look like much, a lot of them nervous as they stood in groups or by themselves. Some of them were also scanning the crowd, whispering among themselves and looking generally like shifty people. Ryuto made notes to stay away from them.

Ryuto’s eyes travelled over the crowd, before they snapped back to a familiar, going wide in recognition.

_Nile Storm_. But… what was he doing here? He was on Africa’s team last time, wasn’t he? He couldn’t compete again!

Ryuto watched him, and realized with a start, Nile was talking with a young woman who looked a _lot_ like him. Dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, and green eyes standing out starkly against tan skin. She was nodding along to something Nile was saying, expression serious.

Nile had competed before… Perhaps he knew something that Ryuto didn’t. Was he giving this woman inside information? Could that be considered cheating? No, no… it’d be expected, of those who previously competed to try and help their fellow Bladers.

Ryuto sighed, and ran a hand over his face, resisting the urge to groan out loud. He startled as a man in a uniform suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Sir? Are you here for the tournament?” He asked Ryuto, voice gruff.

“Uh, yeah,” Ryuto answered, leaning away. “Why?”

“Take this,” The man handed Ryuto a yellow card. “You’ll be in the yellow group.”

“The what now-“

“Good luck,” He said, and went on to a nearby group of Bladers. Ryuto was left staring, boggled. He looked down at the yellow slip of paper in his hand, wondering how this tied in with the whole tournament.

“Well, well, well…” A voice mused, and Ryuto’s head snapped up, to see Nile approaching him, “Been a while since we’ve seen each other, Ryuto Katashi.”

“Nile,” Ryuto greeted. “Uh, quick question. What’s up with this?” He waved the paper for emphasis.

“That’s the group you’ll be in,” Nile answered. “… Did you read the rules before you came here, or?”

“Honestly? No. I just got here last night,” Ryuto said, sheepishly.

Nile sighed, and rolled his eyes, “Basically, they’re dividing the entrants up into three groups. Each Blader gets a paper that tells them what group they’ll be a part of. You’ll compete in battle royal style, and the winner of each group gets a bracelet they have to protect for a total of twenty four hours. Who ever has the bracelet at the end of the time period is a member of the African team.”

“You… you mean we have to fight for it more than once?!” Ryuto exclaimed, feeling a trickle of sweat run down his spine.

“Scared?” Nile smirked.

“Yes!” Ryuto panicked, “I’ve not competed in years! I’ll be done in before the day’s up!”

Nile’s smirk faded as Ryuto continued to mumble anxiously to himself, replaced with concern, “Uh, dude. So why are you here? This is a completely different league!”

“I’m here for a reason!” Ryuto snapped, anxiousness turning into anger, “I don’t have to explain myself to you!”

Nile scowled, “Hey, I’m trying to help you-“

“I’m sorry,” Ryuto groaned. “I just… I’m just… this is a lot for me. I guess I should have read up on the rules and regulations, since I thought it would be pretty straight forward.”

“Hm…” Nile mused, “Do you want some advice?”

“Any would be welcome,” Ryuto admitted, sighing.

“You’re smart, and you’re quick, Ryuto,” Nile said, reassuringly. “Use that to your advantage. You’re used to running and dodging, and there are plenty of places to do that here. Try to avoid battling big groups, if it concerns you that much, but honestly… I think you’ll be fine. There’s probably only a dozen or so people here, from what I’ve seen, that could give you any trouble.”

“Y… You think so?” Ryuto asked, weakly.

“I know so. And, when you make the team, take some time and put in some extra training. Making the team is one thing. Proving you belong on it… that’s a complete other ball game,” Nile’s voice was dead serious. “So make _sure_ you make it clear that you belong.”

Ryuto met Nile’s eyes, before nodding and promising, “I will.”

* * *

Even with the knowledge of how the qualifier would play out, and even with the thirty minute head start that officials gave those who made the team- consisting of Ryuto, the girl Nile had been speaking with earlier, and another girl with brown hair- Ryuto wasn’t at all surprised that someone ended up finding him.

Instead of running, which had been his original game plan, Ryuto met them head on.

Just as he knew his brother would do.

Just as he knew _he_ should do.

“Dragonis! Hammer Bolt!”

With a single move, Ryuto managed to send a good portion of his challengers flying. He grinned, feeling proud of himself, then winced as he heard an explosion behind him. He turned, curious, to see the girl who seemed to be related to Nile, knock out a group of roughly two dozen Bladers. His jaw dropped.

“Wow…” Ryuto breathed, catching her attention, “Who are you and why have I never seen you compete before?”

She smirked, calling her golden Bey back into her hand, “Name’s Nefertiti Storm.”

_Yep. Figured you were related to Nile somehow._

“And the reason you haven’t seen me compete… well, this is the first time in about seven or so years since I’ve picked up Wadjet to actually battle,” Nefertiti shrugged. She regarded him, “What about you?”

“Uh… Ryuto. Ryuto Katashi,” Ryuto rubbed the back of his head, sheepish. He waited, anticipating for Nefertiti to either recoil in fear or turn her back on him at the mention of his name, but instead, she just kept watching him, “Uh…”

“Nile’s talked about you before. Said you were all gun ho about finding the star fragment,” Nefertiti finally spoke. “I also know you’ve donated a lot of stuff to the Cairo Museum of Antiquities.”

Ryuto laughed nervously, his voice flat as he said, “I thought I told the directors to not mention my name…” 

“They never listen. They love to brag on their best suppliers,” Nefertiti smirked, as she started off down the street. “So, what are you doing here?”

“… Same as you, I guess,” Ryuto shrugged, following her. “I want to get on the team.” He looked at her, “Aren’t you… a little old? There’s an age limit, isn’t there?”

“There is, and I’m just under it. I’m twenty,” Nefertiti replied with a nod. “Nile convinced me to try out. Gotta say, I didn’t expect to actually be having to fight for my spot… figured I’d be one of the ones chasing down whoever got the bracelets.”

“You and me both,” Ryuto muttered.

Nefertiti raised an eyebrow at him in question.

“This… is my first major tournament,” Ryuto sighed. “I… honestly entered just on a whim. I didn’t think I’d make it _this_ far.”

“If you ask me, I think you’re doing pretty damn well, if this is the first tournament you’ve been in,” Nefertiti commented. “You’re… Nile said you’re a treasure hunter by trade, right?”

“Pretty much have made a career of it, at this point, yeah. Why?”

“I’m sure you’ve seen the world. So why are you here?”

Ryuto hesitated, stopping dead in his tracks. Surprised, Nefertiti turned to give him a questioning look.

“… I’m trying to prove myself, to someone important to me. He’s… not exactly supportive of my current career,” Ryuto finally answered. “And… being in the World Championships… that seemed like the best way.”

Nefertiti regarded him with bright green eyes, expression thoughtful. After a moment, she laid a hand on his shoulder and bent down the few inches to look him in the eyes.

“Well, if it’s any consolation… I think being here should be enough proof that you’re some lowly treasure hunter,” Nefertiti said.

“You… You think so?”

“I know so,” Nefertiti smiled.

“Hey! There’s two of them! Ryuto and Nefertiti!” A voice shouted, and the two Bladers turned to look down the street at a group of maybe two dozen teens running at them.

Nefertiti sighed, “Well, guess the peace couldn’t have lasted long anyways…”

“Hey… Nef?” Ryuto grabbed her arm before she could move, “Do you mind if I take these guys?”

“By yourself?” Surprise colored Nefertiti’s voice.

Ryuto smirked, and stepped forward to face the crowd, “Hey… we all got to start somewhere, right? These punks will be just the first step of many in order to show my brother that I can be just as strong as him.”

Nefertiti stared at him, before smirking in something akin to amusement, “In that case… they’re all yours.”

* * *

By the time night fell, Nefertiti and Ryuto had made it clear they weren’t going to be giving in as easily as their opponents thought they were. Likewise, the two had made it equally clear to each other just where they stood in terms of power and respect for one another. But as the hours wore on and the competitors kept coming, Nefertiti began to struggle.

“I’m… I’m used to staying up all hours of the night thanks to work or school, but…” Nefertiti panted, as the two ducked into an alleyway, “Not having to run around like a chicken with its head cut off!”

Ryuto stretched his arms out behind him, hands linked together as he cracked his neck. Honestly, he wasn’t even breaking a sweat. Running through the streets was far better than running through an ancient temple and avoiding fatal traps. Or treasure thieves who wanted you dead.

“Guess you need to get back into the swing of things, huh?” Ryuto teased, smirking.

Nefertiti glared at him, and swatted him upside the back of his head, “Not all of us can be an Olympic level athlete, you little shit.”

Ryuto pouted and rubbed the back of his head. He checked his bracelet, “So, we got about ten more hours to keep these things and make the teams.”

“We can’t keep running forever. We should take a break, try and get a little rest,” Nefertiti sighed. “But the rest of the competitors will keep coming.”

“Meow! Sounds like Motti’s teammates need a helping paw!”

Ryuto and Nefertiti turned in surprise, looking up to see, sitting on top of the back alley wall, the third person who had managed to get the bracelet from the opening qualifiers. Light green eyes peered down at them from under brown hair. She wore a cat like smile on her lips as she crouched down.

“Been a while since we’ve seen you,” Ryuto spoke first. “Seems like everyone’s been after us.”

“Meow, meow, Motti isn’t strong like you! Motti is too scared to try and fight so many powerful Bladers!”

Ryuto sweatdropped, _What’s with the third person cat complex?_

“And yet, you managed to get that bracelet,” Nefertiti commented, crossing her arms to stare up at the girl.

“Meow,” Motti said, miserably, and held up her hands. Both were bare, “Motti didn’t manage to keep it long. Motti fell into a cat trap set by a big meanie!”

Ryuto and Nefertiti glanced at each other.

“Have you tried getting it back?” Ryuto asked.

“No,” Motti’s hair drooped, her eyes watering. “What good would it do? Motti is just a plain Blader without anything to fight for.” Here, her voice dropped, the cat like perks of her personality fading away, “Big brother was right. I’m never going to be able to be a Blader people will look up to.”

Ryuto felt his heartstrings jerk, _She sounds just like me. Trying to prove a point to a non-believer._

Next to him, Nefertiti’s eyes flashed in the shadows, her entire body straightening like a jolt of electricity had been delivered into her system, “Motti. Do you know the person who managed to win the bracelet off of you?”

“Meow? Yes! But she ran and hid,” Motti said.

“Perfect. Because suddenly I don’t feel so tired and have the strangest urge to punch a witch,” Nefertiti grinned, canines flashing. “So, Motti, why don’t you come down here with me and Ryuto, and we’ll form a plan to get you back where you belong?”

“W… where I belong?”

“With us, of course,” Ryuto grinned, crossing his arms. “After all… if anyone deserves a spot on the team, you certainly seem to be one.”

* * *

Finding the girl who had robbed Motti was almost too easy. Ryuto voiced his concerns, as the trio managed to track her down into an old warehouse just on the outskirts of town.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s another trap. Nile said a lot of people will play dirty to get on the team,” Nefertiti admitted. The group were perched up on the fire escape, peeking over the windowsill of the upper windows to look down inside, “Motti? See her anywhere?”

“There,” Motti pointed with a gloved hand, at a redheaded girl sitting on a stack of crates and playing with her phone. 

“Out in the open like that? I don’t like it,” Ryuto muttered, scanning the room.

“What do you see?” Nefertiti asked.

Ryuto was silent for a moment, before he put his hands on both girls’ heads, and pushed them down out of sight, following, “Yep, trap. I count maybe three to four dozen others hiding in the shadows. It’s an ambush.”

Nefertiti cursed, colorfully, and glanced down at her bracelet, “We got six hours before the team is formed. We need to come up with a plan to get in, get that bracelet, and get out while avoiding the mob that is sure to follow.”

“Hmm…” Ryuto mused, “Should we really strain ourselves that much?”

“What do you mean, meow?” Motti blinked at him. She was practically vibrating in excitement.

“Here’s my proposition, and feel free to tell me I’m an idiot,” Ryuto shifted to crouch down on one knee. “We wait until the last hour of the qualifier. They’ll be restless, and probably itching to get out and track us down. A few of them will, and that makes less people for us to fight our way in and out. Not to mention, they’ll probably be turning on her, and she may have to fight to keep her spot, or to keep her minions in check.”

“Minions?” Nefertiti raised an eyebrow.

“Take a look in that room and tell me that she’s not the type to have minions, I dare you,” Ryuto deadpanned.

Nefertiti held her hands up and leaned away, “Okay, so? Your plan is just to wait them out?”

Ryuto grinned, and nodded, “Sometimes, the best plan is the plan that doesn’t require a lot of thinking.”

Nefertiti could see the sense behind that, “Alright then Ryuto. We’re following your lead here.”

.

.

.

As the hours ticked by, Ryuto’s predictions became true. The trio occasionally heard a battle erupt within the warehouse. Those that lost were sent running for their mommies. There were also the ones that began to get impatient and stormed out on their own. By the time the sun was in the sky, and the last hour of the qualifier was approaching, Ryuto’s head count went from three dozen, to about eighteen.

“Surely three of us can handle eighteen others,” Ryuto said. This entire qualifier had been a booster to his self confidence. “If Team Wild Fang can handle a whole horde, why can’t we?”

Nefertiti snorted in amusement.

At the exact one hour mark, Dragonis broke down the doors to the warehouse, and on Ryuto’s command, began making a mess of the inside. Crates and metal poles went flying into the air. Directly behind him, Nefertiti launched her own Bey, Guardian Wadjet, and Ryuto and Motti both watched in awe as a winged woman with the lower half of a snake in place of legs flashed into view. With ruthless power, she helped to send the other Bladers flying.

“Motti, it’s on you now!” Ryuto called, “Nefertiti and I will deal with her crew! You’ve got to fight for your place!”

“Meow?! Me?!” Motti yelped.

“Come back for more, little kitten?” The redhead smirked, blue eyes glittering in mischievous intent, “Good luck. You couldn’t handle me once, what makes you think do it twice?!”

Motti frowned, “I’m not just a little kitten! I’m more than that!”

“Then prove it! Aphrodite!” The redhead launched her Bey, a streak of pink that flew for Motti.

Motti was just quick enough to launch her own Bey and meet the attack, “Cancer!”

The two Beys clashed in mid air, and then hit the concrete floor. The redhead called out first, “Send her flying, Aphrodite! Special Move: Dove’s Call!”

Motti yelped in surprise as Aphrodite released a series of air blasts, tearing up the concrete floor and making it uneven. A few connected solidly with Cancer, much to Motti’s displeasure. She hissed like a feral cat, “ _Mrow_! Motti will make you pay for that!”

“I’ll believe it when I see it!”

Motti growled, “Cancer! Claw Snap!”

Ryuto and Nefertiti turned away from their battles long enough to see a giant, orange colored crab flash into existence. It scuttled forward, and then struck out with a claw, closing around Aphrodite and then throwing her into a wall.

“Aphrodite!” The redhead cried, “You little rat! I’ll make you pay for that!”

“Take notes,” Motti hissed back. “Cornered cats lash out! Cancer! Again!”

“Way to go, Motti!” Nefertiti cheered.

“Pay attention, why don’t you!” One of the other Bladers shouted at Nefertiti, “Gasher!”

“Oh, please, you’re not worth my time. Ryuto, are you getting bored here or what?”

“You read my mind, Neffy,” Ryuto smirked. “Let’s get rid of these suckers! Dragonis! Special Move, Hammer Bolt!”

“Wadjet! Special Move, Poison Strike!”

“Cancer! Special Move, Crustacean Crash!”

* * *

“… Do you think we went overboard?”

Nefertiti erupted into laughter, draping her arms over both Motti and Ryuto’s shoulders as the trio walked away from what _used_ to be the warehouse. Multiple Bladers lay unconscious, and Motti’s bracelet was locked firmly around her wrist, as she walked with a skip in her step. Ryuto still seemed a little in shock over the events in the last few hours.

At that exact second, all three bracelets began to beep, and the trio looked down to see the countdown of the last twenty-four hours come to an end. There was a beat of silence.

Motti cheered. Ryuto face split into a wide grin, and Nefertiti exhaled in relief.

“Well, now that that’s done… what do you say we go find somewhere that serves some good food and then crash? I don’t know about you two, but I’m beat,”

“I could eat,” Ryuto agreed. “You think Nile would want to join us?”

“He’d be offended otherwise,” Nefertiti laughed. “Come on, you three. Let’s go celebrate the formation of Africa’s newest team.”


	5. Episode Five: Requiem of the Wolves

It had been a while since Kuro had entered a tournament. The last time was the most recent Tori Yu Mon Tournament, where she’d battled alongside her brother to help raise money for the repairs Nemesis had done to China. They’d ended up in the finals, where they had lost to the Gingka-Yuki team. Bao had muttered something about they’d deserved the win, after the last time where he and Aguma had won, but he was still sulky about it.

Kuro remembered said match. She’d been in the audience, had watched and listened to them. She’d felt the incredible urge to hunt her brother down and literally knock some sense in his head. Maybe Aguma too. But before she could, Johannes had come along and snatched them up before she could stop him.

Kuro sighed, and placed her face in her hands, elbows on her knees. Her mind whirled with ‘what if’s and the thoughts of past mistakes. She’d always wondered if she hadn’t left, would Bao had turned out the way he did? He’d always been ambitious, but angry at the world had been new when she saw him again after five years. A strong leader, and surely the Beylin Fist leaders had picked up on it, and used that to their advantage, the manipulative fuckers. Part of the reason why they had kicked her out- she knew they knew she’d keep her brother on the right track. Other reasons included her strength at just thirteen, she’d been stronger than even the eldest members of the group. Sexist bastards, thinking only men could have any type of power.

Kuro had learned from her time in the Beylin Fist that power meant people either feared or respected you. Unfortunately, women were never respected in the Beylin Fist. They were to be seen, not heard, and Kuro had fought that rule since the moment she could walk. Her and Bao’s mother, bless her soul, had been the one to persuade Kuro to keep doing it, saying that her daughter would be the one to bring about a better change among the Fist members. Kuro had hung on every word her mother had told her, her mother had been the one to gift Fernis to her and helped her to train in secret.

When she had come up pregnant with Bao, Kuro wasn’t sure how to take being an older sister. Bao had cried a lot as a baby, and Kuro found him annoying, initially. Especially since he took what little of her father’s attention off of her. Again, damn sexist bastards.

The third pregnancy had been rough for their mother. Kuro had been eight. Bao was four, barely old enough to remember… But Kuro did. Kuro remembered when her mother had gone into labor with the twins (twins!)… she remembered how the doctor had stepped from the delivery room, and solemnly shook his head, stating that she had died giving birth and that the twins had as well. Kuro had been too young to understand the medical mumbo jumbo, only that her mother was dead and so were her would be siblings.

She only had Bao, then. Four year old Bao, who didn’t know what was happening, and only wanted his mother. Kuro had taken both the role of big sister and woman of the house at eight, and she had _hated_ it, since all she had ever wanted to do was focus on proving herself to the elders of the Beylin Fist. Fights with her father had become more frequent. She trained herself in secret, and as the years went by, not only did she manage to set herself apart from the other Bladers, but she learned how to be a sister. Bao looked up to her, and…

She’d thrown it away. She’d got too ambitious, too determined to prove herself in a group that didn’t recognize her as the warrior she was. An ultimatum was eventually given: leave, or conform to the rules. Kuro had decided, fuck it, and left.

Her one regret was the fact she had left Bao behind. But honestly, he was in better hands, without her there. Their father would look after him. Aguma was there. She needn’t worry.

At least… that’s what thirteen year old Kuro had told herself.

Footsteps approached Kuro, but she didn’t hear them, eyes closed and so caught up in her thoughts.

“Kuro,” A familiar voice rumbled, and Kuro jerked to sit up, banging her head on the concrete wall behind her.

Wincing, she rubbed her head, “Ow.”

Aguma looked vaguely amused, “You didn’t hear me?”

“I didn’t know it was you,” Kuro grumbled. “What do you want?”

“I think I know my best friend well enough to know that she’s probably freaking out and overthinking the little things,” Aguma shrugged, as he sat on the bench next to her. “Bao is… not as docile. He’s wearing a hole in the waiting room floor.”

“He never was,” Kuro muttered. “Tournaments always have riled him up. Just the mere mention of them had him rambling on and on. How he even manages to stay calm during the tournament is something that’s boggled me forever.”

“Oh, he doesn’t,” Aguma snorted. “He’s got his tics. I hope you can stand tapping fingers or bouncing feet when you get on the team.”

“If,”

 _THWACK_!

“Ow?!”

Kuro rubbed her shoulder from where Aguma had punched it, before scowling and kicking him in the shin. He grunted and winced, muttering, “Yeah, I deserved that, but damned if I’m listening to you be self depreciating. You have a good chance of getting on the team.”

“Says the guy who’s been promised a spot!”

“Don’t we have a bigger task to be focusing on?”

“Oh sure, change the subject, you brawnie…”

“Takes one to know one,”

“Shut. Up,”

“Make me- Ow!”

Kuro smacked him upside the head, deadpan.

“One of these days, I’ll do something worse. Honestly, you had to pick up the sass from Bao,” Kuro sighed, and lowered her hand.

 _Yeah well, I spent a lot of time with you too,_ Aguma thought, grumbling under his breath.

“… Silver comet… what type of Blader you think we’re looking for?” Kuro finally asked, after a moment of silence.

“Tough to say,” Aguma sighed, shrugging. “This is the qualifiers, so honestly… We may not know. Qualifiers are pretty easy, no one’s going to want to show off their full strength before the tournament even begins.”

Kuro mumbled and mused to herself, before conceding that Aguma had a point. With a sigh herself, she stood up and stretched her arms over her head. She linked her fingers behind her back and stretched her arms out behind her before dropping them and slumping them a little.

“I’d stay as far away from Bao as I could. He’ll be going out with a bang and you don’t want to chance running into him,” Aguma commented.

“Yeah, yeah. You know which stadium he said he’d go to?” Kuro asked, waving a hand.

“Stadium B, I think?” Aguma stood up, rubbing the back of his head, “He said it didn’t seem like a lot of competition.”

“Then I’ll go for Stadium C,” Kuro decided.

“Well if you two got B and C covered, I’ll keep an eye on Stadium A,” Aguma mused, as the two began to walk side by side down the hallway. Kuro shoved her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket, and kept walking even when Aguma stopped, “Hey, Kuro?”

Kuro didn’t turn, “Yeah?”

“Good luck,” Aguma called.

Kuro paused, and glanced over her shoulder at that. Aguma was… well, he wasn’t fully smiling, those he reserved for special moments or people, but he was giving her a half smirk, half grin, full of confidence. It… pleased her, in a way. To know there were people out there who supported her.

“Hey, big guy,” Kuro grinned, all teeth. “I’m not the one you should be worried about.”

As Kuro turned away, Aguma sweatdropped, _That’s exactly what I’m worried about._

* * *

To say Kakeru was nervous would be the understatement of the goddamn century. He’d barely managed to get any sleep the week before, and had ended up waking Kyoya two hours before his alarm went off. Kakeru was still nursing the bruise on his jaw from where Kyoya had thrown his clock at him and Kakeru hadn’t been fast enough to duck. The moment had resulted in a moment of panic and anger courtesy of both brothers, before turning into amusement.

The qualifiers didn’t start until nine o clock, but they were up at six. Despite Kyoya fixing Kakeru’s favorite for breakfast, pancakes and bacon, Kakeru could barely eat. Kyoya didn’t comment on Kakeru’s nervousness, only ruffling his hair as the time for registration drew closer and closer.

It was only after Kakeru had put his papers in and got his number- 358 out of 582- and when he was standing in the shadows of the stadium hallway with Kyoya on his fourth cup of coffee- “Are we sure you’re not an addict?”- that Kakeru finally voiced his concerns.

“Do you think I’ll do well?” Kakeru asked.

“You’ll do fine,” Kyoya answered, scrolling through his phone and sipping at his coffee.

Kakeru was surprised he was still here. Both in physical and conscious terms. Kakeru would have assumed Kyoya would have gone on to work or even passed out by now.

“What, I can’t cheer on my baby brother? I’m here because this means something to you and I’m awake out of pure spite,” Kyoya looked up, raising an eyebrow.

Kakeru blinked. Had he said all that out loud?

“Yes, yes you did,”

Again?!

“Yes,”

Fuck.

“Language,”

“Gah! Shut up already and answer my question!” Kakeru shouted, scowling at Kyoya. Kyoya just raised an eyebrow at him and sipped his coffee. Kakeru resisted the urge to smack it out of his hand.

“Do I think you’ll do well? I think you have a better chance than any of these other fools out here,” Kyoya finally said, shrugging.

“Is that you trying to give me a pep talk or your ego talking?”

“… Both?”

Kakeru sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Why am I not surprised? Kyoya, can’t you just give me a straight answer?”

“Why do you need a straight answer?”

“Because this is important! In more ways than one!”

“Is it?”

“ _Kyoya fucking Tategami I swear to every deity there is-_ “

Kyoya finished off his coffee and stood up, tossing the disposable cup into a nearby trashcan. Before Kakeru could work himself up, he pocketed his phone and looped his arm around Kakeru’s neck, taking him towards the entrance of the stadium floor.

“You will do fine. And even if you don’t, don’t worry. Just know you did the best you could. You’re not the only one who’s worried here, alright? I’m worried,” Kyoya sighed.

“… How did those words taste coming out of your mouth?” Kakeru asked, dryly.

“Like vinegar,” Kyoya deadpanned. “Don’t dare repeat what I just said to anyone.”

“Who, me?”

“ _Kakeru_ ,”

“Yeah, yeah, you gotta keep your tough guy act,” Kakeru ducked out of Kyoya’s grip, falling silent into his thoughts. “Any word on Japan’s member of the Seven?”

“Nothing yet. Hopefully they’ll show up here, though,” Kyoya shrugged. “Then again, a lot of people entered from Metal City, and might have entered at one of the other stadiums. Ryuga’s in Tokyo-“

“You sent the _Dragon Emperor_ to the capitol?!”

“Hush, he volunteered,”

“He _volunteered_?!”

“… Okay so maybe he was outvoted,”

“… Madoka threatened him, didn’t she?”

_They had faced down the god of Destruction, Nemesis himself, and yet, standing in front of them all hellfire in her eyes and devil’s horns sprouting from her head, Gingka, Tsubasa, Kyoya, and Ryuga all felt like bugs under a microscope._

_“Enough arguing!” Madoka snarled, voice echoing in the silence of Ryo’s office. “I’m assigning you where you’ll be looking out for the member of the Seven, and if any of you so much as question me, I won’t be repairing your Beys for three months! Am I clear?!”_

_“Yes, Madoka,” All four Bladers chorused, properly chastised._

_Madoka’s mood did a full one eighty and she smiled brightly, “Good! Now that I have your attention…”_

_Imperceptibly, all four males let out sighs of relief at having narrowly avoiding Madoka’s wrath. To the side, Akira shook his head and turned away to hide his smirk._

Promptly, a shudder ran through Kyoya, a haunted look filling his eyes, “Can we change the subject?”

Kakeru dissolved into peals of giggles, holding his sides as he erupted into full blown laughter. Kyoya scowled at him, then thwacked him upside the head, “Hush, you. I’d like to see you face Madoka’s temper sometime.”

“Challenge accepted,” Kakeru muttered under his breath. Kyoya either didn’t hear or didn’t care.

“So, Ryuga’s in Tokyo. You’re here in Metal City. Where are Gingka and Tsubasa?”

“Tsubasa’s in Sapporo, as is Hikaru. She’s competing this year,”

“Wait, really? Good for her! I hope she makes the team!”

“Gingka’s in Hiroshima with Yuki. You know how Gingka gets with a Bey battle,” Kyoya shot Kakeru a look. “Not a word.”

Kakeru closed his mouth, smirking up at his brother.

“Ryuga, as you pointed out, is in Tokyo. I think I saw in the list of entries that your friend, Platina, got transferred to Tokyo since she didn’t get hers put in in time for Metal City’s qualifiers,” Kyoya commented, as he pulled his phone from his pocket. “Hey. First round will be starting in about fifteen minutes. You should get backstage.”

Kakeru suddenly felt it very hard to swallow, fear and anxiety blocking his throat and sending a cold spike through his chest. Before he could lose himself in the negative emotions, Kyoya’s hands were on his shoulders and whipping him around so he could look him in the eyes.

“Listen to me,” Kyoya said, firmly. “You will do great out there. I know it, and you know why?”

Kakeru shook his head, wordless.

“Because you’re my brother,” Kyoya said. “And if anyone can come out on top here, you can. No, I’m not saying that because of my pride, I’m saying it because it’s the truth. You’ve worked harder in the last few weeks than anything I’ve seen you throw yourself into. You’ve got the spirit and the dedication to take Japan back to the top.”

“But-“ Kakeru started. His voice cracked, “What if I fail?”

“Then just know you did the best you could, and weather you win or lose, I am so proud of you,” Kyoya spoke with conviction in his voice, and Kakeru…

Kakeru believed him.

Kyoya smirked, as he saw the fear subside in Kakeru’s eyes. With a soft laugh, he ruffled Kakeru’s hair, “Go get ‘em, tiger. I’ll be watching.”

* * *

Kuro was _bored._

Never a good thing.

None of the other Bladers in the tournament were giving her a _challenge._ Her blood was singing for it, and she felt like a wolf pacing it’s cage, snarling and hackles up while waiting to be set free so it could wreck havoc.

That’s what Kuro was best at. Causing chaos. Kicking ass. Taking names.

She wasn’t even having to use her full strength to take on her opponents. Not only was _Kuro_ itching for a fight, but so was _Fernis_ , howling and clawing and snarling at not being met in battle. She wanted a fight too. It’d been a while, Kuro having forced herself to avoid battles that would take a lot out of her, in order to build her energy and stamina for the qualifiers.

It seemed that Kuro’s plan was backfiring on her spectacularly.

On a mid afternoon break, right before the final round of the semi finals of the qualifiers, Kuro finally turned her phone on, munching on a bag of chips from her assigned waiting room. The first of the last two semi final battles were to start in about five minutes. Kuro’s was up next, and if she won, she’d be facing off whoever won the upcoming one in the finals.

With her current streak, she had no doubt she’d win both.

As her phone booted up and went through showing her missed messages and notifications, Kuro found her gaze turning to the tv screen, as the Bladers for the first match of the semi finals were announced.

Her blood ran cold, and then she was diving for her phone.

 **Back In Black:** Hypothetically speaking, Johannes is here.

 **Barry Allen:** Hypothetical, huh?

 **Death Comes:** Don’t do anything stupid.

 **Barry Allen:** Kick his ass.

 **Death Comes:** Bao.

 **Barry Allen:** A G U M A

 **Back In Black:** Let me at him. He won’t go after either of you ever again.

 **Barry Allen:** I can’t watch it live so I’ll have to watch the rerun of Kuro beating him. Give me this.

 **Death Comes:** No! New leaf, remember? Revenge is bad.

 **Barry Allen:** I’m not a dog.

 **Death Comes:** Wolves. Close enough.

 **Barry Allen:** …

 **Barry Allen:** Been a while since I threw a level five.

 **Death Comes:** You wouldn’t.

 **Barry Allen:** WOULDN’T I?

Kuro watched as Aguma tried to formulate a reply. Bubbles appeared several times, and disappeared several times, and with it, Kuro felt pride filling her. Eventually, Aguma replied.

 **Death Comes:** … fine.

Kuro grinned.

 **Back In Black:** Very good little brother. We’ll make a master manipulator out of you yet.

 **Death Comes:** DON’T ENCOURAGE HIM!

 **Back In Black:** I do what I want.

A knock on Kuro’s waiting room door startled her. She looked up to see a WBBA worker poke his head in, “Ms. Blackheart? Your match starts in ten minutes.”

“Already?” Kuro raised an eyebrow and turned her attention to the screen. Petty satisfaction filled her when she saw Johannes’ face as the winner, “Well then.”

“Good luck,” The man said, and ducked back out.

 **Back In Black:** Guess who gets to fight Johannes in the finals?

 **Death Comes:** Goddammit…

 **Barry Allen:** Destroy him, Kuro.

Kuro grinned as she shut her phone off. She had plans to do just that.

* * *

Aguma glanced down at the final battle about to take place in Stadium A. After a moment of debate, glancing between his now silent phone and the two Bladers preparing for battle, Aguma stood up and decided Kuro’s upcoming battle was the better option. Besides, he had watched long enough to figure out none of the Bladers in this stadium were any one of the Seven they were looking for.

He made it to Stadium C right as the count down was beginning. He managed to weave through the crowd and get to the railing that separated stadium levels two and three.

“ _One! Let it rip!_ ”

The first clash of Beys sent up a whirlwind of, well, wind. Aguma found himself gripping the railing just a little tighter, and squinting to see the battle going on below.

Kuro wasn’t holding back. With the spiked extrusions on Fernis’ fusion wheel, she was doing significant damage to Lynx’s own. Johannes snarled something that Aguma couldn’t hear over the roar of the crowd, and on the big screens, Aguma watched as Lynx’ spin track extended, managing to avoid a head on attack that surely would have been his own demise.

The cameras flashed to Kuro’s expression, the DJ demanding to know what Kuro expected to do now in the face of an opponent who could avoid her strong attacks. Instead of looking frustrated or irritated, Kuro looked…

Kuro looked _wild_ , her lips curved up into a manic smirk that showed off all her teeth and eyes mere pinpricks. Aguma’s heart thumped erratically against his ribs, a strange mix of fear and awe as he watched Kuro straighten in the face of Johannes’ taunting.

“Your first mistake was coming into this thinking it’d be an easy win, Johannes,” Kuro spoke, voice dark but flat. “Your second mistake is not knowing who I am.”

“Who you are?” Johannes sneered, “And what does that have to do with anything?”

“My name is Kuro Blackheart,” Kuro snarled, and Johannes… went white. Aguma nearly cackled, “I see you know my name. Yes. Blackheart. As in _Bao Blackheart_. I’m Bao’s sister. And I’ve been waiting for this moment for _years_. To pay back what you did to my brother in my own way.”

Johannes hissed, “Lynx!”

Kuro’s grin widened, “Fernis!”

 _Lynx’s extended spin track is about to work against him,_ Aguma thought. _Kuro was counting on this, wasn’t she?_

Sure enough, the spiked fusion wheel of Fernis began to shred at Lynx’s spin track. Johannes promptly panicked, screeching at Lynx to run away, but Fernis… Fernis was a predator. Once she had a trail to pick up on, she went after it like a beast possessed.

Kuro was much the same. If there was something to be said or done, she bit down and didn’t let go of it until she got what she wanted.

The chase went around the Bey dish for a couple of minutes, circling around the full circumference, before Johannes ordered Lynx to run wild, to try and throw off Fernis in unpredictable movements, even going so far as to sit on the edge of the dish and move out of the way at the last second in a bid to get Fernis on a stadium out.

 _It won’t work,_ Aguma thought. _That’s a move Bao did a lot as a kid and Kuro wised up to that pretty quick._

Sure enough, Aguma’s hunch was right. Lynx bolted away, and Fernis went airborne. It was clear from the arc that she wouldn’t land out of the dish, and Johannes hissed in frustration.

“Nice try,” Kuro admitted. “But that’s old school, for me. Still. It gave me the boost I needed.”

“What?!”

_What?_

“Fernis!” Kuro shouted, taking a stance, “Special Move, Jaws of Death!”

Kuro’s Blader spirit flared to life, a bright silver and black aura that was nearly too bright to look out. In the air, Fernis appeared, a black wolf with red eyes and jaws open in a terrifying snarl.

“Lynx! Meet the attack!” Johannes screeched, and Lynx appeared in center stage. He settled back on his haunches, before leaping into the air, claws out-stretched and teeth bared.

They met midway, still in the air. An explosion rocked the ground, sending the wind whipping at hair and clothes again. The light was enough for Aguma to shield his eyes, so he was unable to see the end result until the noise died down.

“And there it is, ladies and gentlemen! In an explosive show of power, Kuro Blackheart has secured her place on the Chinese team!”

Unbidden, Aguma let out a breath of relief that he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Then, thinking on it, he realized exactly why he felt said relief.

At least with Kuro, he didn’t have to worry about anyone backstabbing the team.

* * *

The day came to an end. It had been long, hot, and tiring.

Kakeru had never felt so exhausted and anxious in his life, and he had a list that exceeded the amount of fingers he had.

For now, he was content to flop dramatically into the seat beside Kyoya as the Bladers and spectators awaited for the final tally and the results of the qualifiers to be announced. Kakeru tilted his head back towards the setting sun and closed his eyes, muttering, “Any word about a potential candidate?”

“No,” Kyoya sighed. “Then again, this is the qualifiers. I wouldn’t expect anyone to use their full power.” He handed Kakeru a bottle of water, and Kakeru drank half of it down greedily, “I’d have been more surprised if someone did.”

“I sure felt like it a few times,” Kakeru murmured. “Some of those Bladers out there are good.”

“To be expected. A tournament on this scale is going to bring out the strongest Bladers,” Kyoya commented, scrolling through his phone- no, wait, he was texting someone. Kakeru tried to lean over and take a peek, but was quickly stopped with a glare, “What have I said about being nosey?”

Kakeru chuckled nervously and leaned back into his seat, sipping more at his water.

“We’re back, Bladers! Results are in, we have our members for Japan’s team, and boy are there some surprises in here I didn’t expect!” Blader DJ’s voice startled Kakeru, and he looked up at the big screen, as a hush fell over the stadium, “As you all know, Yuki Mizushawa has already been guaranteed a spot on the team, as the leader. We’ve got three more spots to fill with first and second guard, and finally the sub member. We’ll start with the Blader who got the sub spot and work our way up! Coming in with three hundred and two points- not a bad start!- and hailing from Japan’s very own Metal City, we have…”

Kakeru found himself leaning forward, eyes wide, hope flaring in his chest as the screen went through a series of images, and finally landing on one.

“Give it up for Hikaru Hisama!”

“Not bad,” Kyoya mused, looking very interested at the result. Kakeru felt his shoulders drop a little, before remembering, wait, there’s two more spots.

“Coming in for the second guard position, she’s a powerhouse! She’s coming crashing in with four hundred and thirty two points, let’s hear it for Platina Triton!”

Kakeru found himself cheering despite his drop in mood. Platina had made the team, and he couldn’t be more happier for his friend! Still… he let out a sigh of defeat and fell back in his chair, sulking. There was only spot left, and Kakeru knew he hadn’t made it.

“And now… the Blader that gets to have the honor of first guard,” Blader DJ paused, building up the suspense. “Coming in with _five hundred and forty nine_ points, beating out Kyoya Tategami’s own record…”

“Give me a name DJ, I just wanna talk,” Kyoya muttered, eyes narrowed. Kakeru snorted and rolled his eyes at his brother’s pride taking a, in his opinion, small blow. Trust Kyoya to want a challenge when his spot as the number two Blader was threatened.

“I’ve been watching this guy’s battles for years! I’m not at all surprised he got the first guard spot, so ladies and gentlemen, hailing from Metal City, let’s hear it for…” The screen flashed, and finally, _finally_ , landed on a picture.

“Kakeru Tategami!”

Kakeru stared at his picture, frozen in place, before he turned to look at his brother who seemed to be equally dumbfounded.

“What the fu- Kakeru!”

That was the last thing Kakeru heard before he fainted dead away.


	6. Episode Six: Let The Games Begin!

“Hey! Guys, there you are! I’m glad I found you!”

“Cover-“

“I am not covering you, if we have to deal with him, so do you,”

Ryuga fought back a groan, jerking to a halt as Tsubasa and Kyoya both grabbed his arms and pulled him back from his attempt to bolt out the doors. Tsubasa leveled him with a look, and Kyoya looked just as dead as Ryuga felt.

Gingka was bounding up to the trio, eyes bright and ever present smile on his face, “Hiya guys! Glad I caught you, the teams are about to be announced, and I figured you’d want to hear them!”

… Not what Ryuga expected for Gingka to say, and it seemed relatively harmless… Even Kyoya looked interested.

“It’s our lunch break, Gingka,” Tsubasa said, at least trying to find an out. He knew that Gingka could be a bit much, especially for Kyoya and Ryuga’s antisocial personalities.

“Dad ordered pizza,” Gingka replied. “Yuki, Hikaru, Madoka, Yuu, Kenta, and Akira are up in the office, waiting. I think Hikaru said that she texted Platina and that she was-“

“We’re not too late, are we?!”

The lobby doors flew open, and before any of the four teens could blink, Platina Triton was right there, bouncing excitedly in place and grinning widely, holding several shopping bags. Next to her, was a frazzled looking Kakeru Tategami, stumbling a little from being dragged in.

“Hikaru texted, said that the World Championship teams were announced!” Platina trilled, excited as ever, “We rushed over!”

Gingka blinked, “She texted ten minutes ago. She said you were shopping at the mall. That’s thirty minutes away.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t realize it was that far out!”

“She had coffee,” Kakeru said, finally finding his voice. He sounded dazed.

“Coffee?” Ryuga asked, sounding dubious even to his own ears. He gave Kyoya a sudden side eye. Said Blader held his hands up and stepped back.

“Hey, caffeine doesn’t affect me that way, you know that! Don’t give me that look!”

Platina was still bouncing in place, smiling wide.

“Let’s… let’s just get upstairs,” Tsubasa uttered. “The reveal is going to be soon, right?”

“Why is it every woman that we know is some level of crazy?” Kakeru was the one who voiced their thoughts.

Platina didn’t hear him, but Ryuga, Gingka, Kyoya, and Tsubasa all nodded in agreement. Deciding not to chance some form of bodily injury, the made their way up to Ryo’s office. Sure enough, as Gingka had said, Hikaru, Ryo, Madoka, Akira, Yuu, Kenta, and Yuki were all there. Several pizza boxes were setting on a nearby table, as well as some take out boxes.

“Are you feeding a small army or something?” Kyoya muttered, but he snatched up a box of pizza and walked over to where the couches and chairs had been pushed together around the flatscreen tv hanging on the west wall. Kakeru followed him.

“Gingka’s here, and Benkei’s on his way,” Akira piped up, sprawled out in one of the comfier arm chairs, tapping away at his phone.

“He’s got a point,” Kakeru said, sitting on the floor and leaning against the front of the couch, as Kyoya sat behind him, legs crossed. Kakeru reached his hands up and made a grabbing motion, “Pizza me.”

“Brat,” Kyoya muttered, affectionately, but opened up the pizza box and handed his brother two pieces of triple cheese pizza.

Kakeru stacked them on top of each other, and bit into both at the same time.

“… And apparently Kakeru is a bit of a tapeworm too, huh?” Hikaru raised an eyebrow, as she sat on the other end of the couch.

“I am not,”

“He is,”

“Oi! Take that back!”

“Not when it’s the truth,”

“Kyo _yaaaaaa_ …” Kakeru whined, thumping his head against his brother’s legs.

“You get no sympathy from me,” Kyoya deadpanned, and took a bite of pizza.

“Why not?”

“I’m not paid enough,”

“You’re my brother,”

“Exactly,”

The two brothers paused as they realized the room had fallen silent. Everyone was staring at them. Kyoya straightened and glared, “What?”

“You two are just…” Platina squealed, “Oh, it just reminds me of my own family! The bickering and stuff! Makes me miss my siblings…”

“Did you call ‘em and tell ‘em you’re on the team?” Kakeru asked, changing the subject as Kyoya continued to glare. Ryuga was smirking like a cat that got the canary, while Tsubasa and Gingka just turned away, having grown accustomed to the Tategami’s bickering.

“Ah, no, I figured I’d wait and let them find out for themselves!” Platina smiled, and plopped herself on the floor just beside Kakeru, munching on a box of noodles, “Besides, I know I’ll see them again when we start traveling for the actual tournament.”

“Good point,” Tsubasa took the chair across from Akira.

Ryo was seated at his desk, smiling and watching the kids as they took their seats and conversed with each other, awaiting for the announcements to begin. He turned to his paperwork, focusing on in it and letting the chattering fall into background noise. It paused, as the door banged open and Benkei burst in, ever excitable and loud that he was, and joined the group. The conversation started right back up.

Ryo let his gaze wander over the group, a small smile on his face. The group in front of him, brought together by so many events over the years and bonded through experiences that no adult, let alone a teenager, a child, should have to go through, had formed an unlikely… Family? Yes, family was the word. Even if some of them weren’t blood related, they had bonds that ran deep, an instinct to protect one another from the severity of the world.

Ryo glanced down at his paperwork, files on Bladers and maps and stories of old that Dynamis had been kind enough to put to paper, and winced.

If only the world could stop and let his kids breathe, instead of throwing another crisis at them.

The chatter died down again, and Ryo looked up to see they all had their attention on the tv. Blader DJ had appeared on screen, now, and was gearing not only himself up, but no doubt the millions of viewers ready to hear about the other teams.

Ryo stood up and moved to stand behind the couch, admittedly curious as well.

“- and I’m actually pretty excited about some of these teams as well! So, enough chit-chat and lets get right into revealing this years World Championship Bladers! Let’s start with the team that was formed first, from America, we have Team Shadowhunters! Having been a Legendary Blader, he solidified himself the spot of team leader, there’s Chris Cadelle! First guard member is none other than Tithi Habanero, also a Legendary Blader! Coming in with the second guard member, having clawed her way on to the team to join her twin, Christina Cadelle! He missed his chance with the last World Championships but he sure isn’t missing it now! Toby King!”

Gingka, Madoka, Yuu, and Kenta all burst out into cheers, as the final image of the team popped up on the screen.

“And finally, as the team mechanic, we have Tyler Blackout!” Blader DJ finished, grinning at the camera, “And here’s the scoop on this Bey mechanic, he’s none other than Masamune Kadoya’s own cousin!”

“Rest in pieces Chris and Toby, they aren’t going to be getting any sleep,” Tsubasa muttered, barely heard over the din.

Kyoya snorted.

“Moving on! From the EU, we have Team Rinascinta!” Blader DJ’s voice lulled the cheering teens, “I have to admit, I’m quite excited with this line up! Legendary Blader of Mars, King, secured his spot as the team leader of the EU team-“

“Unfortunate,” Kyoya muttered. Kakeru thwacked him on the leg, shushing him.

“The first guard member showed fiery skills with a temper to match in the Italian qualifiers, there’s Nero Konzern! That’s right, Julian Konzern’s own little brother has made the team! But he’s not the only member! The second guard member is the one, the only ice-cold Blader, Lucas Reynolds! And hailing in from Norway and showing great skill despite grabbing the sub member spot, we have Amethysia Cosmina!”

Platina erupted into cheers, jumping up from her spot on the floor in a blur of pink and silver, startling most of the room.

“And finally, coming in from Russia to be their team mechanic, with have Jasmine Laize, daughter of Laize’s Corporation’s CEO, Aleksis Laize! I can’t wait to see how this team progresses through the tournament!”

“Impressive,” Ryuga commented. Coming from him, that meant something.

“Next up, we have the South American team, made up of Bladers around the globe! Team Rio Grande is proud to have the one, the only Helios Solace, as their team leader!”

Gingka, Kyoya, Benkei, and Madoka’s jaws all dropped. Gingka even dropped his burger.

“… Friend of yours?” Akira asked, sitting up.

“… You could say that,” Gingka finally found his voice. “Wow… Helios? Just… wow!”

“Getting the first guard spot, he may have a shady past but let’s not hold that against him, Johannes Wilde!”

The room erupted into shouts and protests.

“How the fuck?!” Kyoya exclaimed.

“That bad cat?!” Yuki yelped.

“Shush!” Hikaru cut in, hissing at the group, “Listen!”

“The third spot, seeing as a fourth member couldn’t be decided on, goes to Jigsaw!”

“Oh, well that’s not so bad,” Madoka’s shoulders slumped a little. “A little eccentric, but he’s not bad.”

“And the team mechanic is Ian Garcia!”

“Damn,” Madoka swore.

“Anything the Garcia’s have a hand in is bad news,” Kakeru sighed.

“Well… it’s just Ian!” Yuu tried, nervously, “Maybe he’s… maybe he’s changed!”

He received several dubious looks and raised eyebrows.

“… Okay, fair point,”

“Next up, we have the Russian’s, team Night Risers! Four bad girls on the same team, and all of them are sisters!”

“Say again?” Kenta blinked.

“You heard me! Leader, Khione Ranne! First guard, Thorn Ranne. Second guard, Bella Ranne. Sub member, Pyra Ranne! As for the mechanic, still no word!”

“Strange,” Ryo murmured, to himself.

“Moving on to the African team, Team Shockwave!”

At that, Kyoya straightened a little.

“As we know, Dynamis Hikari gets his spot secured thanks to being a Legendary Blader! He’s the team leader! Coming as the first guard member, we have none other than… Nefertiti Storm!”

“What?!” Kakeru exclaimed, eyes wide, “But she hasn’t battled in years!”

“She clearly still has the skills, if she’s on the team,” Kyoya said.

“Oh, fuck, I hope I don’t end up battling her,”

“Language,”

“Shut up!”

“Coming in with the first guard member, I was quite surprised at this result! I didn’t even know he was still in the game, but let’s hear it for the Dragon Emperor’s little brother- Ryuto Katashi!”

Ryuga choked on his coke, “Huh?!”

“Hah! Way to go!” Kyoya cheered.

“What is happening right now?” Gingka asked, in lieu of his friends’ reactions.

“No clue,” Tsubasa replied, just as bewildered.

“And sliding her way into the sub member spot, she’s a fierce feline- Motti Wilde!”

“Not too bad,” Madoka said, smiling. “I wonder who’s the mechanic…”

“And grabbing that mechanic slot, from Team Wild Fang, Demure!”

Kakeru cheered and Kyoya smirked wider. Ryuga still seemed to be in shock.

“Now, Team Coastal Riders, all the way from Australia! Team leader, Hunter Hart! First guard, Taylor Wilson! Second guard, Kelsea Gunter-“

“As in Klaus Gunter?” Platina mused, eyebrows going up.

“Ariana Klarice, sub member! As for the Mechanic, Jack Wilson!”

“What’s with all the former baddies getting spots on the teams? Jack, a mechanic?! He’s barely sane!” Akira exclaimed.

“But he does have an eye for detail, considering his passion in art!” Madoka chirped, “And… he may be eccentric, but he’s actually pretty nice, now that he’s not on any arrangements…”

Akira crossed his arms and sulked in the chair, “Fine.”

“Finally to the last two teams! From China, we have Team Breaking Dawn! Aguma Ji has his spot as the team leader, but coming in right behind him as the first guard member is his partner in crime, Bao Blackheart!”

“I’m sensing a lot of tag team battles in the future,” Platina said, offhandedly.

“The second guard spot goes to Kuro Blackheart, Bao’s older sister!”

“Yep,” Kakeru nodded in agreement.

“And with the sub member slot, Kenchi Heixin. Not much is known about this Blader, but he certainly showed off his skills in the qualifiers!”

“New player…” Ryuga murmured.

“There’s a lot of new players, snake breath,” Akira snorted, ignoring the glare shot his way.

“The mechanic is Wang Hu Zhong’s Chao Xin Wang’s sister- Xue Wang! Now, moving on to the final team that formed, from my own home country of Japan…” Blader DJ grinned wider, eyes glittering, “Team Vigilante Justice!”

The screen lit up in bright bursts of light, the sound of fireworks going off filtering through the speakers. Yuki sank down a little, bright red. Akira turned his attention to his phone. Hikaru shifted uneasily and Platina reached out to grab Kakeru’s arm, shaking him while squealing.

“Team leader, Yuki Mizushawa! Unsurprising, given his status as a Legendary Blader! Mechanic, Akira Akuyro-“

“I told that fucker to leave my last name out of it!” Akira exploded.

“She’s coming back, ladies and gentlemen, all the way from Battle Bladers and making her way into the big leagues, as the sub member, Hikaru Hisama!”

“Oh… Oh no, he’s not…” Kakeru went white as a sheet, suddenly, watching as Hikaru’s picture appeared on the screen alongside Yuki and Akira’s.

“Coming in with the second guard member, give it up for Platina Triton!”

Platina was practically shaking with how hard she was holding her squeals back. She was garnering a few concerned looks in the process.

“And finally…”

“Oh no, he is,”

“Grabbing the first guard member like the beast he is!”

“Please, DJ, stop…”

“With the most points out of the whole team!”

Kakeru made a noise like a dying cat.

“Kakeru Tategami!”

“Is he fucking trying to put a target on my back?!”

Yuu and Kenta promptly exploded into laughter. Giving his best friend’s brother a concerned look, Benkei reached out and gently patted him on the back. Kyoya just looked a strange mix of proud and vindictive.

“It’s not that bad, little brother,” Kyoya smirked, reaching down to ruffle the younger’s hair.

“Says you!”

Kyoya thumped him, and stood up, “Hush up and get ready to put up, little brother. You wanted in the big leagues, you got in. Now you gotta play the game.”

Kakeru huffed and crossed his arms, glaring at the tv. Blader DJ was still going on about the teams, breaking them down by stats on their tournament records and even the Beys themselves. That quickly distracted him, his curiosity over possible battles and how to approach them overriding his worry and fear.

Conversation sparked among the group, and Kyoya slipped out of the room, the door sliding shut behind him. While getting to know who had made the teams was an interesting thing to do on his lunch break, he much preferred his solitude over big groups.

“Hey… Hey, Tategami,” Kyoya felt his shoulders tense at the voice behind him. He kept on going down the hallway, forgoing waiting on the elevator and heading for the stairway, “Dammit, Kyoya, I’m talking to you!”

“And I’m ignoring you,” Kyoya shot back, throwing open the door to the stairwell and starting down the stairs.

A hand landed on his shoulder, forcing Kyoya to turn around. Kyoya bit back a groan.

“Ryuga, what do you want?” Kyoya sighed, “Meeting done and over with, I’m going back to the paperwork.”

“You knew about Ryuto,” Ryuga said, eyes narrowed. “Want to tell me about that?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Kyoya snarked off, brushing Ryuga’s hand off his shoulder and turning back down the stairs, “If you cared enough, you’d ring him up more often than you did. He wouldn’t have to be turning to others for advice.”

“And what the hell does that mean?”

“What does it sound like?”

“Sounds like you’re implying I could care less about my brother’s life,”

Kyoya turned on the stairs, unfazed by Ryuga towering over him. He pointed at Ryuga, voice like steel when he spoke, “You don’t care about Ryuto. You never told him you were alive, he found out himself and literally brought a storm on his heels when he came here. He called me, asking if it was worth it to enter the tournament, and I did what any good brother would do- I told him the truth, offered him some advice, and now here we are. He took what I said and he made his own decision.” Sneering a little, he turned away, “No wonder your relationship with him is so nonexistent. You were never there to begin with.”


	7. Episode Seven: Rematch! EU vs America!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're moving into the tournament now! First up... The EU and American team!

“I don’t remember seeing many interview panels for the last World Championships. Did they do this for every match?” Lucas asked.

“Yep. Least, for those in the main round. The Wild Card matches didn’t get any interviews,” Nero nodded, eyes on his phone. “Julian says he and Excalibur are staying up to watch the interview.”

“It’s a shame they couldn’t come to watch the match,” Amethysia commented. Next to her Jasmine nodded.

“Yeah, well, business calls,” Nero shrugged, pocketing his phone. “Anyone know where King is? This thing is gonna start in like, ten minutes.”

“Where else? He’s probably with team Dungeon,” Lucas said, dryly.

There was a beat of silence, where Amy sighed, “I’ll go find him.”

“I’ll come with you,” Jasmine spoke up, adjusting the strap of her bag over her shoulder. “You two, stay here.”

“Of course,” Nero smirked, and settled his arm over Lucas’ shoulders, leaning against him. Lucas adopted an annoyed look as Amy rolled her eyes and disappeared further backstage. Once she was gone, Nero’s smirk faded, and he glanced at his best friend, “You good?”

“Peachy keen,” Lucas crossed his arms. “Why do you ask?” He didn’t look at the blonde, keeping his gaze straight ahead and towards the open stage. In the crowd, reporters were talking amongst themselves, excited. The energy in the air was thick with tension and anticipation.

“I’ve known you for the better part of almost four years. I heard that little pitch in your voice, when you asked about the interviews,” Nero said, quietly. “What’s on your mind, Lulu?”

Lucas swallowed, his fingers tightening and causing the leather of his jacket to creak, “W… what if he’s watching, Nero?”

“He can’t get to you,” Nero assured his friend. “We’ve done all we can to keep him away from you. If he comes within fifty yards, he’s violating his restraining order and can be arrested. Any form of contact, electronic, by letter, in person, he has with you, also adds to his list of violations.”

“I… I know that!” Lucas snapped, breathing becoming labored. “But… this is an international event! This is gonna be aired everywhere! He’ll see it- Oh, god, this was a mistake, I should have never entered-“

“Lucas, Luke, hey, Lucas,” Nero moved quickly, taking his friend by the arm and pulling him back away from the stage a few feet. He took Lucas’ face in his hands, forcing him to face him, “Hey, look at me, okay? Lucas, I promise, you’ll be fine. Everything will be fine, okay? You just have to trust, alright? Your dad can’t touch you. You live with your mom and brother, now, you know that. Come on, Lulu, take a deep breath and refocus. You deserve to be here, don’t be talking like you don’t.”

It took a few minutes, Nero speaking in low tones and keeping his gaze steady on his friend, before Lucas started to relax. It was at that moment, Amy and Jasmine appeared with King in tow.

“I would have made it! I just wanted to talk to Masamune- what’s wrong with Luke?” King’s voice went from a whine, to surprisingly serious.

“Panic attack,” Nero murmured. “He’s worried about his dad showing up, once he finds out where he is.”

“Let him try,” Amy sneered. “He wouldn’t make it within ten feet of Luke.”

“He’s not supposed to be within fifty yards,” Nero said, frowning, not breaking away from Lucas.

“That, then,” Amy shrugged. “Just tell me if he gets close and I’ll send him packing.”

Jasmine rolled her eyes, “Violence is generally not the best way to handle these things!”

“Your point?”

“I’ll be more than happy to set VariAres on him.”

“Uh, Rinascinta?” A backstage worker approached, “Two minutes until show time.”

“Thank you,” Jasmine smiled at him. The worker tilted his head, and walked away.

“Lucas, you hear that?” Nero murmured.

Lucas closed his eyes and nodded.

“You good to go on stage?”

There was a beat, before a jerky nod.

“You sure? I’m sure we can figure something out if you don’t want to-“

“I’m fine,” Lucas opened his eyes, and straightened to his full height. “I… I don’t have to answer any questions, right? Not unless they’re directed to me?”

“Generally, that’s how an interview goes,” Amy commented. “We can field, if we need to.”

“I’ll be fine,” Lucas sighed. “… Thanks, though.”

“Hey, we’re a team!” King smiled, his cheer cutting through the somber mood, “We look out for each other!”

“King’s right,” Jasmine nodded. “If you feel uncomfortable… uh, actually, you got a signal?”

“I’ll take over,” Nero said. “Luke and I got a code for if this shit happens.”

“Then we’ll follow Nero’s lead,” Jasmine amended.

“Rinascinta!” The worker from earlier called, “You’re on in fifteen seconds!”

There was a split second where all five members of the EU team, before they were scrambling for the wings of the stage. The worker stood to their left, adjusting their headset and staring down at their clipboard. On the stage, the American DJ was gearing up the paparazzi and no doubt the viewers at home.

“So without further ado, I introduce America’s home team- Team Shadowhunters! Chris Cadelle, Tithi Habenero, Christina Cadelle, Toby King, and Tyler Blackout, come on out!”

The crowd applauded, and a few cheers and whistles filled the air as the American team made their way on to the stage. Chris only allowed a small smirk, Christina waved to the crowd with a wide smile, and both Toby and Tyler were trying to contain a bouncing, squealing Tithi.

“Looks like someone’s excited, and I can’t say I blame him!” DJ joked, as Tithi nearly toppled over the table. The crowd laughed, and there were even a few ‘aww’s, “And the visiting team, from the EU, let’s hear it for Team Rinascinta! King, Nero Konzern, Lucas Reynolds, Amethysia Cosmina, and Jasmine Laize!”

There was a slight lull in the round of applause and cheers for the EU team, but who could blame them when the EU was the visiting team. King and Jasmine walked out with broad grins, King waving at the crowd. Nero and Amy had on twin smirks, cocky and surefire, while Lucas kept a careful mask of indifference on his face. The team sat down, for the most part, calm and collected.

“Well, before we get into the Q and A part of this panel, there’s a few things I’d like to say,” DJ said, once the crowd had hushed a little. “As you know, the order in which the teams were formed- leader, first and second guard, and sub member- is how the battles will play out. However, if the match ends in a tie, there will be a tiebreaker match between whoever which team decides to send out- no matter the position of said competitor. This includes a single battle, a tag team battle, or a best out of three battle.”

“More than likely, the EU team would love to avoid the embarrassment of yet another best out of three, considering last time,” Tyler Blackout commented, setting his elbow on the table, then perching his cheek against his fist as he gazed down the table.

“Sure, if the American team has a tag team formidable enough to deal with Lucas and I,” Nero shot right back, smirking. “From what I’ve researched… there isn’t.”

“And what do you know?” Tyler raised an eyebrow, “You’re just some dumb blonde.” He glanced at his own teammates, “No offense.”

“None taken,” Christina sipped at her water, looking amused.

“Dumb blonde-“ Nero started, sounding outraged. He stood up, looking ready to start a fight, “Listen here-“

“Ooh, sounds like someone needs anger management!” Tyler teased, green eyes sparkling in mirth, “That the reason you didn’t make the team last time, Konzern? Or did your brother just show you up?”

“I purposely didn’t join the team and Julian’s more of a Blader than you could ever hope to be, you two bit-“ Nero cut off, choking, as Lucas reached up and yanked him back down into his seat by the collar of his shirt.

“Stop flirting with the enemy, Nero,” Lucas deadpanned. “It’s bad enough Amy’s dating Toby anyways.”

There was a beat of silence, before the room erupted into noise.

“What?!” Nero exclaimed.

“He knows?!” Toby shouted.

“How the hell did you find out?!” Amy screeched.

Lucas just raised an eyebrow, “Your phone calls and your irregular sleeping schedule, for one. You may be a sneak, but you do get flustered whenever you get certain text messages.” He smirked, “Besides, King outed you.”

Amy’s head whipped around to stare King down, who buried his head under his arms, “Dude! Why you gotta betray me like that?!”

“You damn petty bastard,” Amy growled at Lucas.

“Mm. Learned it from the best,” Lucas shrugged, as Nero promptly dissolved into laughter. “What are you gonna do if you end up battling him?”

“That… that doesn’t concern you!”

“Doesn’t it?”

“Oh, shut up before I smother you in your sleep!”

“Please end my suffering. You wanna know why I outed you on international television? You leave me to deal with King and Nero, to go shopping with Jasmine! I can barely deal with Nero’s energy!”

“I feel your pain,” Chris said, long suffering as he cast a glance at his sister and then Tithi.

Christina smiled at him while Tithi just blinked, clueless.

DJ coughed, hiding his smile behind a gloved fist, “Well, that’s certainly the introduction! But, we have an interview to finish, young Bladers! Let’s start!” At his cue, the teens settled down as the reporters erupted, trying to be heard over one another, “Yes, you there! We’ll start with you!”

“I have a question for both teams!” A young woman said, sounding nervous, “Does the American team have an advantage to the tournament, considering there’s two Legendary Bladers on the team? If Chris is to battle King, and the order of the battles are decided via order of the team, that leaves Tithi to battle Nero! Doesn’t that seem a little… unfair?”

The crowd murmured, settling in anticipation for the answer.

“I don’t intend to hold back,” Nero said, before anyone could speak. “True, Tithi’s a Legendary Blader, but does it matter? He’s a Blader, someone who just seeks to have fun in battle. I’ll meet him with everything I got, no matter if he outpowers me or not.”

“Thank you, mister!” Tithi chirped, “But I can’t say I’ll hold back either, especially if you give me a fun battle! You will give me a fun battle, won’t you? You look like you like fun battles!”

“Settle down, Tithi,” Toby said, patting the boy on the shoulder, as the young teen was about to fall out of his chair. He gave the boy a smile, “You know that no matter who you’ll battle, it’ll be fun.”

Tithi pouted, “Yeah, unless I’m battling Yo-Yo.”

(Somewhere in Metal City, there was a shout of “That little rat!” followed by laughter).

King snorted, and even Chris grinned.

“A good question and it seems it doesn’t really matter to our panel!” DJ interrupted, “Next question!” He waited a moment, scanning the crowd of reporters, before pointing at one, “Yes, sir! You!”

The man stood up, hidden by the shadows. His voice was low and rough, “Is there the guarantee that this American and EU battle won’t end up like the last one will? As Mr. Blackout pointed out earlier, Excalibur was humiliated in the last tournament, thanks to the likes of Damian Hart-“

“The American team was manipulated and all but abused by the founder of Starbreaker, Dr. Ziggurat,” Toby spoke up, voice cold. “I myself was a person who was victimized by him.”

“So you’re excusing Damian and even Jack’s actions in the last American and EU match?”

“They were _manipulated_ and-“

“They certainly weren’t when the volunteered to be part of his arrangement program, now were they? Or yourself, when you went by Faust, and used a Bey to-”

“The arrangement program,” Toby sneered, standing up and peering through the crowd, meeting the icy eyes of the reporter. “Turned every member of Starbreaker, and myself, into the worst versions of ourselves. It was _hell._ The recovery process alone has been long and hard, and is still a work in progress. If you fail to understand that we were forced into someone who we weren’t, then sit down and keep your mouth, _shut_.”

There was a few seconds of absolute silence, before the reporter sat down. After another few seconds of Toby fixing the room with a look, he too sat down.

“Moving on!” DJ coughed, looking nervous, “Yes, miss, you!”

“I’d like to address Team Rinascinta!” The reporter, a very young looking woman with black hair, stood.

“Yes?” Amy tilted her head.

“Specifically, Mister Reynolds?”

Lucas raised an eyebrow, and leaned forward to cross his arms over the top of the table, “I’m listening.”

“Do you care to address the rumors that your father, Caspian McKandless, is the mechanic for the Russian team?”

Luke froze, eyes going wide in _terror_ , “I… what-“

“I believe this interview is over,” It was King who spoke, his chair screeching on the floor as he stood. His expression was like that of stone. His words and actions only sparked the crowd to erupt into questions and cameras to begin flashing.

As the chaos only grew, DJ cast the two teams a look and jerked his head to the side, silently telling them to get out. As the two groups did just that, all of them exiting off the same side of the stage, DJ tried to regain control of the crowd.

“What was that bitch talking about?” Amy hissed, once they were away from prying eyes and ears.

“Hold on, I’ll check,” Jasmine said, as she pulled a minilaptop from her bag and began to type at it. “The Russian team, last we knew, didn’t have a mechanic because one couldn’t be found-“ She went pale, fingers freezing over he keyboard, “They verified it this morning. Caspian McKandless is Night Risers’ mechanic.”

Someone’s phone started ringing, and Nero scrambled to pull his from his pocket. He cut them all a look, “Everyone, shut up.” He turned back to Lucas, who had found a chair and was sitting in it, holding his head between his knees, “Lulu, it’s Wales. Do you want to talk to him?”

Nero’s phone continued to ring, before Lucas reached out a shaking hand. Nero nodded, and answered it. He stood up from where he was kneeling, and turned to face the American team, “You’ve got questions, I’m sure.”

“Uh, duh?” Tyler cocked an eyebrow.

Nero glanced at Tithi, then looked over at Amy. The woman nodded, and crouched down to smile at Tithi, “Hey, Tith, want some ice cream?”

Tithi cheered, “Yes! Please?!”

“No, Wales, you can’t kill him,” Lucas murmured, voice flat.

“Well, let’s go then,” Amy said, standing. As she and Tithi went for the backstage exit, they heard her voice fading, “So Tithi, what’s your favorite flavor…”

“It came out of left field… Jazz says it was just confirmed this morning, Wales,” Lucas said. “Wales, no, you don’t need to-“ His expression twisted into mild annoyance, “Wales, listen to me. Mom needs your help with the business. You have clients, you can’t just drop it all for me-“

“He can and he will,” Nero pitched in.

“Nero, shut up,” Lucas growled, eyes narrowed.

“I’m just saying,” Nero shrugged. “Come find us when you two get done talking.” With that, he jerked his head, “Come on. I’ll explain.”

By the time Lucas rejoined the group, the entire American team were ready to kill a man.

“What did you tell them?” Lucas asked, later that night, once the EU team had finished dinner and gone back to the hotel.

Nero, sprawled out on the bed closest to the balcony overlooking New York City, tore his gaze away from his phone and looked Lucas in the eye, “The truth, Luke. I told them the truth.” Before Lucas could question him further, he set his phone down on the bedside table and turned the lamp off, turning over and away from his friend, “Go to bed, Lulu. We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

* * *

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and to those of you visiting the Big Apple for the first time, we welcome you! Today’s a big day, as it marks the first match of the second Beyblade World Championships! We’ve got our home team, Team Shadowhunters, going up against the EU team, Team Rinascinta! After yesterdays interviews, I think everyone is excited to see how this will go!” DJ paused as the crowd roared in anticipation, “I hear you! So let’s not waste another moment! Our first match is between America’s Chris Cadelle and EU’s King! Gentlemen, take your spots and get ready to rumble!”

“Good luck, Chris!” Tithi cheered, as Chris and Christina shared a fist bump.

“Ultimate stamina type against a left rotating Bey that can freely switch between attack and defense mode…” Tyler murmured, typing away at his tablet.

“Let’s do this!” King shouted, pointing across the dish at Chris as he reached his position, “Hope you’re ready to lose, Christopher!”

“Keep talking, King, we haven’t even started yet!” Chris retorted.

“King needs to be careful with that bearing drive of Orion’s,” Jasmine muttered, staring down as the two teens readied themselves for battle.

“Three!” The countdown began, echoed by the packed crowd.

“Two!”

“One! Let it rip!”

As the Bladers launched their Beys, and took a few seconds to figure out their first move, Tyler turned to Toby, “King has battled Chris before, right? On Beyster Island.”

“Not much of a one on one battle, though, considering it turned into a battle royale,” Christina pointed out.

“VariAres!” King shouted, “Special Move, Sword of Ares!”

“Orion!” Chris called, “Dodge it!”

Orion barely managed to avoid the direct attack, before under Chris’ silent command, slammed into Vari Ares from the right, sending the red Bey flying into the air.

“Vari Ares?!”

“Nice try, King, but a lot has changed since the last time we clashed!” Chris grinned, “Orion! Hunter’s Barrage!”

“That’s new,” Jasmine blinked, and pulled her laptop out, typing away at it. “Interesting…”

“What are you seeing?” Nero asked, leaning over to peer over Jasmine’s shoulder.

“Orion’s stamina is still off the charts, and his defensive if certainly formidable, but look,” Jasmine typed in a few commands, and a comparison of Vari Ares and Orion appeared on screen. “Orion’s attack power out matches Vari Ares’ defensive abilities.”

“Shit,” Lucas swore, and turned to shout. “King, be careful!”

“I’ve got this man, don’t worry! Vari Ares, Shield of Ares!” King yelled, “Now, hit him!”

“Oh! He’s using Vari Ares’ defensive power like a battering ram!” Jasmine exclaimed, eyes wide, “Smart!”

“Orion!” Chris cried, as his partner went flying into the air.

“How’d you like them apples, Chris?!”

“Lucky break! Orion!”

Orion, thankfully, landed in the dish, prompting a sigh of relief from the American team.

“Damn, if Orion gets hit with another attack like that,” Tyler muttered, frowning at his tablet screen. “Chris, you gotta end this fast! Don’t rely on Orion’s stamina, it’s not gonna work!”

Chris nodded shortly, “Got it. Orion!”

“Vari Ares! Shield of Ares!” King called out, as Orion began a barrage attack on his opponent.

“What’s he doing?” Amy murmured, watching as Vari Ares was knocked back a few inches at a time, “King!”

“I’ve got this, stop worrying!” King shouted back.

“Orion! Let’s finish him!” Chris yelled. Orion pulsed a bright magenta, and fell back, circling the edge of the stadium and building speed, “Special Move: Star Bolt!”

“King get out of there!” Lucas exclaimed.

“Sword of Ares-“ King started.

He never got to finish, as Orion slammed into Vari Ares, with enough force to send the red Bey flying into the air. Everyone watched, holding their breath, as a streak of red arced through the sky, higher and higher…

_Clink_.

Vari Ares landed on the ground behind King. There was a second’s pause, before the crowd erupted.

“Chris wins it!” DJ cried. “The first battle goes to Team Shadowhunters!”

The American team promptly erupted into squeals and cheers.

“However, we don’t have a second to lose! We’re moving on to our second match of the day! Nero Konzern and Tithi Habenero!”

“Nice try, King,” Nero grinned, as he passed his teammate down the stairs. “Don’t worry! I’ll get that win back!”

“He thinks,” Christina muttered, smirking as Tithi ran to the dish, beaming brighter than the sun.

“Now that we have our Bladers… let’s get started! Three!”

“Two!”

“One! Let it rip!”

Quetzalcoatl and Furie landed in the stadium on the opposite sides of their Bladers. For a moment, they were silent, staring each other down.

Then, Nero smirked, "Furie! Hit him hard!"

Tithi squealed, "Run, Quetzalcoatl!"

"Run, huh? Don't you know you can't run from a raging fire?"

"I may not be able to run, but I can fly! Quetzalcoatl!"

The golden Bey shot up the side of the stadium, flying high into the air.

Nero grinned, "There we go! You're good kid, but so am I!" He widened his stance, "Furie! Special Move, Ring of Fire!"

"Ascent Spark!" Tithi cried, as his Bey's spirit appeared it the air.

Furie picked up speed, and a literal ring of fire appeared on the edge of the stadium.

"I'm tempted to start singing," Christina commented. “I fell into a burning ring of fire—"

"Please don't," Chris begged.

"That fire is only a mirage... right?" Toby asked.

"Um..." Tyler tapped on his tablet, "... No. Furie is creating enough friction between the metal and the ground to cause literal flames! Tithi, be careful!"

As Quetzalcoatl slammed into the ground, the ring of flames shrank down, surrounding the snake like beast. It roared in fear and anger, a loud collision happening as the two special moves slammed together.

Once the light, smoke, and dust had cleared...

"Hot dog!” DJ exclaimed, "Even after that admirable show of power, both Beys are still spinning!"

" _What?!_ " Christina, Toby, and Chris shouted.

"Nero managed to withstand Tithi's special move?" Chris asked.

"He can hold his own against a Legendary Blader!" Christina exclaimed.

"Just how powerful is this guy?" Toby demanded.

"Um... he just took a direct hit from Quetzalcoatl and his power isn't down but by six percent," Tyler said.

" _WHAT?!_ " Everyone screamed.

“H… Holy…” Amy’s jaw was on the floor. Jasmine was typing frantically at her laptop, wide eyed and King was still staring in shock, “H… How…?”

Lucas chuckled, settling one elbow on the metal railing to set his chin in the palm of his hand, “Haven’t changed at all, have you?”

“You mean this amount of power is normal?!” Jasmine exclaimed.

“Oh, please, he hasn’t even used a fraction of Furie’s power, yet. Probably won’t, to be honest,” Lucas said, nonchalantly.

“What?”

Lucas smirked, watching the battle below.

“Lucas, what are you talking about?!”

“Just watch and learn, guys. Watch and learn…”

"Hahah! This is fun! I'm having fun!" Tithi giggled, jumping up and down, "Oh, you're so fun to battle with! I don't want this battle to ever end!"

Nero sweatdropped a little, "Well, kid... I'm, uh, sorry to say, it's gonna have to. We gotta let the others battle too."

"I know," Tithi sighed, sadly.

"But," Nero grinned. "It's not like we can't have fun while we can. What do you say we give this crowd a show?"

Tithi smiled, happily, "Okay! I should warn you though- I'm gonna beat you!"

_Love to see you try_ , Nero snickered to himself. "Alright kid... if you say so."

Apparently, Tithi didn't hear him, because he cried, "Alright Quetzalcoatl! Ascent Spark!"

In response, Nero’s Bey pulsed a crimson red, and began to whisk around the stadium at blazing speeds...

Literally. Streaks of fire was left in Furie's wake as she soared around the stadium. In the air, Quetzalcoatl paused, and the snake god appeared, before beginning a rapid descent.

Nero sweated a little; he didn't have much time.

_Anytime now...._

The stadium was on literal fire, and Furie was gathering it up into a ball around her. In the flames, Nero could see her spirit:

With a cry, a red woman in black armor burst forth, sporting bat wings and wild, snake like hair.

Literal snake like hair- her hair was made of snakes.

"Special Move!" Nero shouted, "Hellfire Blast!"

Furie's spirit inhaled, flames surrounding her, before she unleashed a torrent of flames from her mouth.

Quetzalcoatl roared in surprise, and a flash of white light had the entire crowd shielding their eyes.

When the light and noise cleared, everyone heard the telltale sound of a _clink!_ as a Bey hit the concrete ground.

Nero hid a smirk under his raised arm.

"Aw, man!" He heard Tithi cry, "I lost!"

" _And Nero Konzern wins the first battle of this EXPLOSIVE round!_ " DJ yelled, and the crowd erupted into cheers.

"Hey, kid," Nero called as Tithi crouched down to pick up his fallen Bey. Furie flew back into Nero's palm, and he grinned, "You did good. That was a fun battle."

Tithi grinned, "Thanks mister! I had fun too! I hope we can one day have more battles together!"

Nero chuckled and turned away, "Yeah kid... me too."

The American team still stood in shock, by the time Tithi bounced back to his teammates. He blinked at them, and reached up to tug at Christina’s sleeve, “CeeCee? It’s your turn to battle now!”

“Uh… huh… right…” Christina shook her head, expression determined, “Right! Okay, no pressure. We’re at one win each! I got this…” She gulped, squeaking as she met the ice cold glare Lucas was giving her, the male teen having already taken up his spot at the dish, “I think…”

“You’ll do fine,” Chris soothed his sister. “Knock ‘em dead, sis.”

Christina nodded, and ran down to take her spot.

“Moving on!” DJ called, “Our Bladers are ready… Three!”

“Two!”

“One! Let it rip!”

"Alright, Nieth, let's do this! He can't attack if he can't see us! Camoflauge Barrage!"

"Where did Nieth go?" DJ exclaimed in shock as the green energy ring of Christina's Bey shimmered and disappeared, "Wait! Luke is getting hammered by unseen assault! Could it be- that maybe-"

"Hm," Luke smirked a little. "A sneak attack, huh?"

_He's far too calm,_ Christina thought, unnerved. _I need to finish this battle, quickly._

Luke's icy eyes were cold and calculating, watching as Khione got hit from the left, the right, front, back and center, before smirking.

"Bingo," he said, softly. "Khione! Special Move, Black Ice!"

Khione pulsed an icy blue, before releasing a shockwave. In it's wake, a sheet of ice covered the stadium.

Christina growled as the shockwave revealed Nieth on the edge of the stadium, spinning steadily, "So you disrupted the air around Nieth. Big deal- Nieth!"

Her Bey glowed green, before shooting forward and on to the ice. However, the moment the extreme sharp performance tip met the ice, it was unable to speed forward.

"What? It's not a mirage?!" Christina exclaimed.

"And now, you're in my trap," Luke smirked. He swept his arm out, "Go now! Khione! Special Move, Icicle Barrage!"

Christina yelped surprise as Khione suddenly began a barrage attack on her Nieth, "How? How are you not slipping on the ice?!"

Lucas chuckled, "Easy. Khione is _made_ for the ice. She has extra balance thanks to the nodes not only on her spintrack, but also on her extreme flat performance tip. They're good for balance, and gripping on to slick surfaces where other Beys can't. Many a time in previous battles have my opponent's fallen to this move... You will be the same."

Christina growled, eyes narrowing, Luke's words ringing in her ears.

_You will be the same..._

“Don’t fall for it Christina!” Toby called, “Ignore him! You can win!”

“You can’t,” Lucas smirked, crossing his arms and cocking his hip to the side. “You should just throw in the towel and save yourself the embarrassment of losing.”

“You know, for someone who was raised by a psychotic, manipulative bastard and vowed never to act like him, you sure are,” Christina growled at him.

Luke’s face went blank.

“Neith!” Christina yelled, “Send him flying! Arrow of Accuracy!”

“You don’t stand a chance on my ice!” Lucas yelled back, only to be surprised, watching as Neith adjusted to the ice, and instead of slipping and sliding, began a snake like path towards his partner, “Wha- no!”

“Hah! Score for me!” Christina whooped, pumping her fist as Neith sent Khione flying into the air, “Now, Neith! Don’t let him regain his balance!”

“Dammit- Khione, get away!”

“You’re not running away from me! Neith!”

Neith flashed out of existence, and then back into existence directly behind Khione. With a grin, Christina watched as her partner sent Khione flying into the air.

“Dammit!” Lucas swore.

“What’s the matter, red?” Christina smirked, striking a cocky pose, “This isn’t as cut and dry as you thought it would be?”

Lucas growled, and took a step back.

“Aw, are you giving up? Such a shame, it seemed like you’d give me a-“

“Khione, Ice Strike!”

Khione stopped dead in her track, and Neith slammed into her, flying end over end through the air. Christina’s jaw dropped open as she gaped, watching as her partner barely managed to land back in the dish.

“Now it’s my turn,” Lucas grinned. “You really shouldn’t monologue, Christina. It’s everyone’s eventual downfall. Khione! Special Move, Icicle Barrage!”

“Shit- Neith!” Christina cried, as Khione swooped in from all sides and began an her assault on Neith, “Get away!”

“There’s no escape, Cadelle! You’ve had a good run, but the EU’s ready to win back that victory that was stolen from them. It’s time to finish this, Khione! Special Move- Blizzard!”

The air crackled, clouds rolling in and blocking out the sun. The temperature dropped just a bit, before the wind kicked in, and suddenly, it felt like winter. From a steady, pleasant seventy something degrees, to below freezing in mere seconds.

Then, it began to snow.

In the middle of summer.

_What the hell_ , Christina thought, then shivered as the wind began to pick up, causing the snowfall to whip into just what Lucas had summoned- a blizzard. The wind was ice cold, sending everyone into shivers. Soon enough, Christina struggled to see even her hand in front of her own face with how fast and hard the snow was falling.

Somehow, Christina heard Lucas shout- what it was exactly was unheard, but seconds later, there was the sound of an explosion, and just as fast as the blizzard had descended on the stadium, it vanished. The wind laid, and the snow stopped falling. The clouds rolled away, and the sun popped back out, leaving everyone to see that the stadium had turned into a sort of winter wonderland.

And Neith laid, unmoving, at Christina’s feet. Christina stared, shocked, shivering in the cold.

“L- Lucas wins it!” DJ’s teeth were chattering, “A- And we’re gon- gonna take a break while we w-wait for this sn- snow to get cleared out!”

Lucas smirked, as he summoned his partner into his hand. He seemed unaffected by the cold. As he turned and walked away from the dish, Tyler promptly lost his temper.

“ _What the fuck is up with the EU being so damn OP?!_ ”


	8. Episode Eight: Tag Team Tenacity

“Why are you all looking at me like that?”

“You’re about to battle your boyfriend why wouldn’t we be looking at you in some way that conveys ‘don’t lose’?” Lucas deadpanned.

Amy glared at the redhead, “I’ll have you know, I plan to go all out weather you think I will or not, Reynolds.”

“Prove it, Amy. The EU has a lot to prove in this round,” Nero commented, crossing his arms.

Amy rolled her eyes as DJ began to announce the next battle, “You lot have too little faith in me, I swear.”

“I have all my faith in you, Amy!” King chirped.

“Only because you’ve known me the longest,” Amy deadpanned, and jolted back to the present as DJ announced her name.

“And from Team Rinascinta, give it up for Amethysia Cosmina! Keep in mind, ladies and gentlemen, this final battle will be the one that decides which team will move on! Will it be the EU team looking to seek a victory from their previous loss against the American team, or will the American team continue to wipe the floor with the EU team?”

_Not a chance,_ Amy thought, vindictive as she made her way to the dish. Toby already stood on his side, grinning at ease.

“Honestly, I’m curious to see who King will cheer for, aren’t you?” Toby asked, conversationally.

“If we’re talking about the same King, he’ll just cheer in general, you know that,” Amy shot back, grinning.

“Waste not another moment Bladers, and let’s get this battle started!” DJ’s voice rang through the arena, “Three!”

Toby and Amy pulled their gear out and readied themselves for battle.

“Two!”

“One! Let it rip!”

_Okay, so I can’t meet Lyra in a head on attack,_ Amy thought, cradling her chin in one hand and observing as the two Beys circled around each other. _Lyra’s fusion wheel makes it tricky to get an attack in. Even with that in mind, as Lyra is a registered attack type, the defensive capabilities are actually stronger, and Toby knows how to bring those capabilities to the max… I know he knows how to do that._

Amy groaned, and rubbed her temples, “Damn Lucas, now I see what he meant.”

Toby raised an eyebrow, “Yes?”

“We’re at both an advantage and disadvantage with the fact we’re battling each other. We know each other’s tricks and strengths and weaknesses,” Amy sighed.

At that, Toby grinned, “Well, I guess that just means we’ll have to push each other to our limits, right?” Then, he became serious, “Lyra!”

Amy frowned as Lyra crashed into her Bey, Clockwork Loki, and chewed on her lower lip.

_Loki’s a strong stamina type to Lyra’s attacks. Our defensive abilities are almost matched. I think my best bet is to let Lyra’s stamina drop and then finish him off with a single, strong attack._

“Loki!” Amy swept her hand out, “Special Move, Magic Matrix!”

“And Amy’s the first to call move, despite Toby attacking first! And hotdog, would you look at that, Loki’s done multiplied! I can’t tell which one is real and which one isn’t!”

“Interesting strategy,” Toby commented. “Trying to throw me off?”

Amy hid a smile, “Something like that. Care to try your luck?”

Toby was silent for a moment, contemplating his thoughts. Then, he looked up at Amy with a half grimace, half smile, “You’re trying to wear my stamina down, aren’t you?”

And at that, Amy did smile, singing, “Guilty.”

“Smart move. I don’t have much choice if I want to find the real Loki…” Toby’s voice changed, a sly expression crawling over his face, “But…”

“Oh no,” Amy said, softly.

“Lyra! Special Move, Harmonic Divergence!”

Lyra stayed right where he was, and released a series of red colored energy blasts. Amy felt her jaw drop as she watched Loki’s clones disappear, right up until a burst of energy collided with the real thing and sent it flying back.

“You haven’t trained with the American team in a while! Go now, Spiral Lyra!” Toby shouted with a smile. In the dish, Lyra pulsed a bright red color, and charged forward.

“Loki!” Amy exclaimed, eyes wide as her partner was driven back, further and further towards the edge.

“Oi! Amy don’t you dare give up now!” Behind her, King was shouting, “You know his tricks, don’t fall for them!”

“Ey!” Toby peered around Amy, “King, whose side are you on, anyways?”

“ _Amy’s side_!”

Toby snorted, rolling his eyes. Amy used the distraction for what it was worth and ordered Loki away from Lyra’s assault. Toby looked down in time to see Loki come streaking around the dish and settle at Amy’s feet.

_I can’t let this drag on for much longer. Even as a stamina type, if Loki can’t land a hit… I need to end this, and end it quickly_ , Amy thought. _If I don’t, chances are, Toby will win, and the American team goes on. If I win, though… that means we have a tie breaker match._ Amy glanced over her shoulder, at her team members.

Jasmine was focused on her laptop, and King was cheering her on- or maybe he was taunting Toby, Amy wasn’t really paying attention- but her gaze caught Luke and Nero’s blue eyes. Lucas narrowed his own, and Nero raised an eyebrow.

Amy smirked, and tilted her head imperceptibly. A wolfish grin spread over Nero’s face, and Lucas nodded.

Amy turned her attention back to the battle, “Loki! Time to finish this!”

Toby grinned, “Getting a bit cocky, are you, Amy?”

“Magic Matrix!”

“I thought we just established that won’t work!”

“You’re right about one thing Toby!” Amy called over, smiling, “I haven’t trained with the American team in a while! I’ve been with the European team… and I’ve picked up a few tricks along the way! Clockwork Loki, finish him off!”

Loki began to glow, before a flash of bronze filled the air. The god of trickery appeared in all his glory, the runes he was surrounded with glowing brightly. Then, he abruptly disappeared.

“What good do the clones do when you ultimately give yourself up by allowing the real thing to attack?” Toby called, observing the multiple clones of Loki in the stadium.

Amy felt her smile turn feral, “You would think that, wouldn’t you?” She widened her stance, and took a deep breath, “Special Move… Clockwork Trickster!”

And just like, all of the clones surged toward Lyra. Toby yelped in surprise as Lyra was put under a barrage attack he’d never seen his girlfriend pull off before. Sparks flew, dust filled the air, making it hard to see. Toby squinted, trying desperately to see, before his eyes landed on a flash of bronze streaking through the dust, just barely seen.

A solid hit laned, Toby heard the moment the two Beys connected, heard Lyra cry out in his mind. A flash of silver and red flew up into the air, arcing high over his head, before landing with a light _clink!_ behind him.

Toby stared, feeling a little shocked.

“And Amy pulls off the win!” DJ announced, sounding excited, “And this means, ladies and gentlemen that both teams are sitting with one win each!”

Amy grinned, and caught her partner. Behind her, Rinascinta was cheering, King and Nero high fiving and Jasmine pumping her fist. Lucas was only smirking.

“We’ll be taking a break, everybody!” DJ continued, “And when we return, we’ll be getting right into the final, tie breaker battle! Teams, make your decisions on who battles, because it could mean the difference between weather you move on or not!”

“We’re moving on to our tie breaker battle, ladies and gentlemen! Let’s see who we got!”

“I’m going,” Chris said, overriding anyone else who may have spoken. “No offense, but I’ve had the most time to recover out of all of us.”

“None taken,” Toby nodded. “Good luck.”

Christina grabbed her brother’s arm before he could step off the platform, “Hold on. Look.” She pointed, and the American team paused, watching as both Nero Konzern and Lucas Reynolds took up position on their side of the dish, “Remember what Nero said at the panel, yesterday? He definitely implied it’d be a tag team match for the tiebreaker.”

Chris regarded the duo for a moment, before looking at his sister, “In that case, care to join me?”

Christina grinned, wolfishly, “I thought you’d never ask.”

“Looks like it’s going to be a tag team match!” DJ exclaimed, “Between our resident Cadelle siblings, and the fire and ice duo, Nero Konzern and Lucas Reynolds!”

“This should be interesting,” Tyler commented, rubbing his chin. “Lucas and Nero are known for being as good of a tag team duo as Wales and Sophie were, maybe even better.”

“And Wales and Sophie beat the Beylin temple tag team technique in the last World Championships,” Toby recalled. “But Chris and Christina are good partners too. They know each other’s moves ahead of time.”

“Any good tag team can do that though,” Tyler replied. He went silent as the countdown began.

“Three!”

“Two!”

“One! Let it rip!”

“Okay, so we’ve got a stamina and attack type going up against an attack and defensive type,” Jasmine muttered. “But the thing is… Orion’s high in defensive power as well, and Khione is high in attack power too. Their best bet is to avoid Orion and just go after Neith.”

“Khione!”

“Furie!”

The two Beys split up, the left rotating Furie and the normal rotating Khione circling the dish, circling Orion and Neith, before both rocketed down the slope and towards their opponents.

Furie collided with Neith, sending her into the air, as Khione began a barrage attack on Orion.

“What are you thinking?! You don’t stand a chance against Orion’s bearing drive!”

“That’s what you think,” Lucas smirked. “Khione! Special Move, Black Ice!”

“And just like that, Lucas manages to throw off both Orion and Neith’s balance! Are the fire and ice wonder duo planning to wait our favorite siblings out?!”

“Dammit,” Christina growled, watching as Orion and Neith wobbled on the ice, “Any ideas?”

“I’m thinking, I’m thinking,” Chris muttered, hands curling into fists, running his eyes over the dish. “Khione can attack, but our defenses are good. Luke will be wearing out his stamina. Furie, though, can’t attack, cause then they’ll get caught in Luke’s trap.”

Across the stadium, Nero laughed, settling a hand on his hip, “Oh, you poor fools! If only you thought before you foolishly accepted our challenge!”

“Huh?” The Cadelle’s chorused.

“Hellfire Furie! Special Move, Hellfire Blast!”

“Snowstorm Khione! Special Move, Black Ice!”

“Wait- What are Nero and Lucas up to?” DJ wondered aloud, “Oh, wicked! Furie’s flames are burning away the ice, giving Nero a clear path to attack! Khione’s coming in behind to refreeze the ground and keep Orion and Neith off balance!”

“That’s… a damn good strategy,” Toby winced.

“Whoo! Go boys, you got this!” Amy cheered.

“Dammit! I can’t maintain a strong defense if they keep this up!” Christina exclaimed, “Chris!”

“Pay attention!” Chris hissed, “He can only attack one of us at a time, and then there’s a few seconds before Khione comes in! One of us just needs to take the attack while the other cuts Lucas off!”

“Let me take the attack then,” Christina said. “You have the stronger attack power, you can send Khione out of bounds! Only one of them needs to be thrown out for us to win!”

Chris nodded, “Got it. Just don’t get thrown out yourself.”

“You worry about you, I’ll worry about me,” Christina smirked, and turned her attention back to the dish.

“Furie! Hellfire Blast!”

“Neith! Chameleon Cloak!”

“Khione! Black Ice!”

“Orion! Star Bolt!”

The crowd’s cheers reached a crescendo as the four Bladers called their special moves. Furie came barreling through the ice, only for Neith to disappear and dodge. Nero squawked in surprise, eyes wide as Orion came in between Furie and Khione, and met the icy Bey in a head on attack. Lucas reeled back, jaw dropping as he watched Khione fly through the air.

“Air time!” DJ exclaimed, “Orion sends Khione flying! Is this the end of the EU team’s run in the main round?!”

“Yes! A direct hit!” Christina cried, pumping her fist into the air.

“Khione!” Lucas shouted, a drop of sweat running down the side of his temple.

“Furie!” Nero swept his arm out, adjusting his stance, “Get Khione!”

In the dish, Furie pulsed red, and rocketed up the slope of the stadium, intercepting Khione’s trajectory and clanging with the blue Bey. Everyone watched with bated breath as the two Beys soared through the air, only to land back in the dish.

“Aw, c’mon!” Christina groaned, “We were so close!”

“I think it’s time we finish this,” Lucas growled. “I’m getting sick of all these close calls.”

“Agreed,” Nero nodded, serious. “You got enough power left for our joint move?”

“Yeah, do you?”

“Just enough,” Nero grimaced. “If this doesn’t work, Lulu…”

“It has too,” Lucas muttered, desperate. “It _has_ to…”

Nero didn’t comment, only straightened his spine and took up a stance. Lucas did the same.

“Hellfire Furie!” Nero called out, sweeping his arm up over his head, “Special Move, Hell Raiser!”

“Snowstorm Khione!” Lucas shouted, throwing his arms out to his side, “Special Move, Blizzard!”

“Oh, now what?!” Chris exclaimed, eyes wide as the two spirits appeared- the goddess of snow, and one of the guardians of the Underworld- in the air.

“Joint Special Move!” The two EU Bladers called in sync, “Fire and Ice Devastation!”

“Booyah! There’s no way that they can stand up against that!” Jasmine cried, as a bright white light filled the air, accentuated by the sound of explosions.

“Hot dog! What an explosive show of power! But was that enough for the EU team to pull ahead with their win?!” DJ called, peering through the dust. His eyes went wide, “Hold up! We’ve got two Beys out of commission and those Bladers are- Oh, Nero Konzern and Christina Cadelle!”

A shocked silence fell over the stadium, as Nero and Christina both stared in shock, at their partners who lay fallen and defeated at their feet.

“Ah, damn!” Christina fell to her knees, “Chris, you gotta-“

“Finish him off, Luke! Now!” Nero whipped around, “While you’ve got the chance!”

“Khione! Send him flying!”

“Bring it on, red! You don’t stand a chance! Orion!”

“Despite the fact that their partners are down for the count, Chris and Lucas are still in this! Look at them go, ladies and gentlemen! Again and again, Khione and Orion meet in head on collisions, neither of them giving an inch! With the thought of moving on to the next round of the World Championships weighing heavy on their minds, it’s really anyone’s game!” DJ paused, taking a breath, “And look, Orion goes in for a barrage attack, driving Khione further and further towards a stadium out!”

“End of the line, Reynolds!” Chris smirked, settling a hand on his hip. “Orion! Send him flying!”

“You wish, Cadelle!” Lucas growled back, “Khione!”

“Hm?” Jasmine glanced down as her computer began to beep wildly, “Wicked! Khione’s spin speed has picked up!”

“What? But shouldn’t it have slowed by now?” Amy and King both moved to look over Jasmine’s shoulders.

In the dish, Khione sent Orion flying away from the force of wind of alone, and quickly took up a stance in the center of the dish. Chris’ lip curled back in a snarl as he ordered Orion to begin a barrage attack.

“Yeah!” King nodded, “Khione’s taken a lot of hard hits!”

“Well, the scans don’t lie,” Jasmine huffed, frowning as her computer picked up something else, “Stamina and defensive stats have doubled as well…”

“How’s that possible?” Amy asked.

“I don’t know! Honestly, the only time I’ve ever seen anything like this is when-“ Jasmine cut off, eyes going wide, “Oh… oh no.”

“What? What’s oh no?” Nero had climbed back up on to the team platform, “What’s going on?”

“I…” Jasmine stared at her laptop, "I think we'd better take cover."

“Enough,” Lucas said, coldly, his voice rising through the air. “I’m done playing, Chris. It’s time for you to go home.”

“You’re all talk and no show, Luke,” Chris snapped back. “How do you think you can win?”

“You’ve used most of Orion’s stamina to power your attacks,” Lucas said, spoke, calmly. “That’s why you keep attacking, because if you try to turn this into a stamina battle so late in the battle, you’ll end up losing, am I right?”

Chris grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.

“Your silence is answer enough. Don’t worry. I’ll make this quick,” Lucas smirked, as an icy blue aura appeared around him and Khione, “Snowstorm Khione!”

Jasmine squeaked, eyes on her laptop, “All stats are maxed out…”

“Oh boy,” Amy murmured.

“Everyone, hit the deck!” Nero suddenly exclaimed.

“Ultimate Move… Winter’s Wrath!”

Just like it had with Khione’s Blizzard, a snowstorm came roaring in, but this one was far more intense, with thunder rumbling in the distance and sleet and ice raining down instead of snow. Wind howled, causing the bits of ice to bite viciously at any exposed skin.

With a loud boom of thunder- or maybe it was an explosion, it was hard to tell- and a bright flash of blue-white light, the storm lulled. Cautiously, spectators in the crowd peered out, the silence thick and heavy.

DJ, thankfully, found his voice first.

“And the winner of this match i… is Lucas Reynolds! Ladies and gentlemen, the first round of the World Championships goes to the EU- Team Rinascinta!”

* * *

Ear splitting squeals and cheers filled the Konzern mansion, originating from the living room. The staff of the Konzern mansion shared looks and smiles, and wisely decided to leave team Excalibur alone.

“That’s right! Moving on to round two of the World Championships, thanks to the hidden powerhouse of the EU, Lucas Reynolds, is Team Rinascinta! Stay tuned, ladies and gentlemen, as we’ll be getting a post-match interview to see what they think about this turn of events!” The American DJ grinned at the camera, and as he finished his statement, the show cut to commercials.

“Did you know Lucas had a move like that?!” Sophie exclaimed, rounding on Wales.

Wales threw his hands up, leaning away, “Nope! That’s new on me!”

Julian’s phone began ringing, Nero’s picture and name showing up on the Caller ID. With a slight roll of his eyes, Julian answered, flicking speaker phone on, “Yes, Nero, we saw. Congrats on the win-“

“Lucas is the water elemental,” Nero interrupted, without preamble. He sounded breathless and maybe just a bit panicked.

Excalibur froze, eyes going wide.

“… What?” Julian asked, “I… We must not have heard you correctly, did you just say-“

Nero huffed. There was a crackle of static, and then the foursome heard through the speakers, the audible voices of King and Lucas.

“-didn’t think I was actually one of them!” Lucas cried, panicked.

“Little dude, just calm down! It’s alright, everything’s fine!” King tried to placate.

“Calm down? _Calm down_?! How can you tell me to calm down when I just found out I’ll be fighting some form of ancient evil?!”

“It’s not that bad, really-“

“You’re a Legendary Blader, King! Don’t look me in the eyes and say that when I know you came back from that battle against Nemesis with some form of trauma!”

“Okay, rude, really. You’re making a big deal out of nothing! For all we know, Nyx is no where near as bad as Nemesis was!”

“Nope, no, no I’m not dealing with this! Oh, oh, god when Wales finds out…”

“He’ll be fine! It’s not like he can change fate!”

“You don’t know Wales! He’s a stubborn, petty bastard who can and will find a way!” There was a beat of silence, “Son of a bitch. Oh fuck. Oh no, no, no, no…”

“Now what?” King groaned, “Nero, can you stop standing there and help?!”

There was another crackle of static, and then Nero was back on the line, “You think I’m still playing around? Wales, you there?”

“I… yeah, yeah, I’m here,” Wales shook his shock. “Are you guys sure that-“

Sophie’s phone pinged. Blinking in surprise, she picked the device off the coffee table and opened her messages. Her expression twisted into a grimace, “Yeah, they’re sure. Check it out.”

Sophie passed her phone to Wales, Klaus and Julian leaning in from either side to look over his shoulders. Klaus’ eyebrows went up and Julian winced, “Aha. Evolution, huh?”

“Yep. Jasmine’s already running scans. Apparently, this evolved Khione is high in attack power and stamina, though we don’t yet know just how powerful those abilities are,” Nero sighed. “Amy’s putting the word out to the other teams, so at least they all know what to look out for now.” Then, more to himself than for the benefit of who he was talking to, “I’m pretty sure that the American team is flipping out. I don’t blame them. This came out of nowhere…”

“Not… exactly,” Wales shifted, running a hand through his hair. He handed Sophie her phone back, “We knew the trajectory of the comets… Dammit, I should have realized it sooner. The London one came directly over our own damn house…”

“You know, when you put it like that,” Klaus commented. “We should mention that to the others.”

“I’ll pass the word along to Amy,” Nero said. There was some noise in the background, “Hey, I gotta go. Lucas is still spiraling and we got that post battle interview yet to do.”

“I’ll be calling him later,” Wales told the younger Konzern. “Tell him that.”

“Honestly, he probably needs to hear you more than anyone else,” Nero agreed. “Alright, I’ll call later. See ya!”

The line went dead before anyone could reply, and Excalibur was left in silence. After a moment, Wales stood up and shuffled out of the room, silent as a mouse. A few seconds later, there was a shout, followed by the crash of something glass hitting the floor.

Julian twitched.

“I’ve got him,” Klaus sighed, and stood up to follow his friend.

Sophie glanced over at Julian, raising an eyebrow at the worried look on her friend’s face, “Julian, are you okay?”

Julian startled, “Huh? Oh, yes, Sophie, I’m fine.”

“You sure? You seem like you’re thinking pretty hard about something,” Sophie commented.

“Just the fact I’ll probably have to buy more gym equipment to deal with Wales’ temper,” Julian waved it off, standing. “You know, I think the least we can do is clean up the mess we’ve made, and keep the maids’ ire away from us.”

Sophie didn’t look convinced at Julian’s excuse, but she let it go with a smile.

* * *

After having lunch with the American team, the group went their separate ways for the rest of the day. Amy, Jasmine, Christina, and Nero all decided to hit up Fifth Avenue, while King, Tithi, Tyler, Toby, and Chris went to meet up with Zeo and Masamune at Dungeon Gym.

Lucas decided to go back to the hotel and take a much-needed rest, despite his friends’ protests. Still, they let him go without much fuss.

After a long, hot shower and a change of clothes, Lucas felt a bit more relaxed, but his mind was still wired, like the ball in a pinball machine that couldn’t find the exit. With a groan, he threw himself on to the bed closest to the room door, sprawling out and closing his eyes. Maybe he could take a nap before the team got back, because he knew that when they did they’d want to talk about-

Luke’s phone began to ring. He opened his eyes and stared deadpan at the high, white colored ceiling. He debated not answering, but upon recognizing the ring tone as the one that he’d assigned as Wales’ tone, he sighed and fumbled for said device.

“What?” Lucas groaned, flicking speakerphone on. He buried his face into his arms, sighing again.

“Wow. For someone who just pulled off one of the biggest power moves I’ve seen a while, you don’t sound very happy,” Wales commented.

“Wales,” Lucas said. “Cut it out. We both know why you called.”

There were a few seconds of silence, a rustle of fabric and crackle of static, before Wales sighed.

“Yeah, we do. Never been able to bullshit you, have I? How you holding up?”

“Just fine,”

“ _Lucas_ , I heard you freaking the hell out when Nero called earlier. You’re anything but calm right now, no matter how good of a front you have on,”

Lucas was silent for a while, trying to piece together what he could say. Wales wasn’t wrong. He never was, when it came to reading his brother. Lucas had often wondered, when Wales hadn’t known he existed for fourteen years, how that was possible. Sophie had once told him that Wales was just scarily good at reading people.

“I’m… scared, Wales. Except, this isn’t the type of fear from… from living with father,” Lucas finally said. “This is different. I’m not living day to day, wondering if I’ll see the next sunrise or sunset, but… this is the world, we’re talking about! The fate of it! On if anyone will be seeing the sun again!”

“It’s not all on your shoulders, remember? There’s six other people that have yet to be found,” Wales assured.

“But I’m one of them!” Lucas exclaimed, finally breaking his cool, “And for god’s sake, we don’t even know who the others are! What if it turns into another Legendary Blader thing! What if we can’t get our shit together?!”

“Luke,”

“The Curse of Death! Did you forget that one?! Supposed to feel the urge to turn evil?! What if that urge actually works and one our own ends up doing just that?!”

“Buddy,”

“And don’t even get me started on _father_! He’s found away around Julian’s damn legal team, being the damn mechanic for the Russian team! And as psychotic as he is, I guarantee you he’s going to have some sort of hand in some sinister plot!”

“Luke,”

“And just- Wales, I don’t know what to do anymore,” Lucas’ voice cracked. “I know… I entered this tournament to prove… _something_ , and now I’m thinking it was the worst idea I’ve ever had.”

“Lucas Reynolds,” Wales said, firmly. “This is not a mistake, nor the worst idea you’ve ever had.”

The door opened and Nero walked into the hotel room, shopping bags on his arms, shades over his eyes, a beaming smile on his lips, and some sort of to go box in his hands.

“The worst idea you’ve ever had was making friends with Nero Konzern,” Wales finished.

Nero stopped dead in his tracks and stared at Lucas’ phone. Lucas facepalmed.

“Uh, rude,” Nero finally said. “How about you tell me how you really feel, Wales?”

Wales squeaked, “Oh fuck.”

“And to think, after all I do for your brother, you treat me this way. For shame!” Nero dropped the to go box beside Luke’s phone, then let all his bags fall to the floor, “A hot chocolate soft serve sundae with chocolate sprinkles, freeze dried strawberries, and extra chocolate drizzle. Enjoy, red.”

“Spoon?” Lucas asked, as he snatched the to go box and pried it open. The cold of the plastic didn’t bother him, and he plucked the plastic wrapped spoon from Nero’s hand when offered, “You godsend.”

“Am I being ignored for ice cream?” Wales asked, idly. He sounded amused and exasperated, his question rhetorical because this was something that happened often.

“I’m hanging up on you, Princess Anna,” Nero drawled, picking up Lucas’ phone.

“Oi, don’t you start calling me that, you pri-“

Nero hung up on him and looked at Lucas. Lucas, already a quarter of his way through his treat, just raised an eyebrow, “He said it, not me.”

Nero snorted, and set Lucas’ phone back down, “You’re my best friend. We both know he was only teasing.”

Lucas actually cracked a small grin at that, “True.” He glanced at the shopping bags Nero had dropped on his bed and the floor, “So…”

“I got you a few things,” Nero grinned, and began to rummage through the bags. The first thing he pulled out was actually a few different t-shirts, ones that he held up for Lucas to look at, “I found a whole bunch of band shirts, and you wouldn’t believe the surplus of classics they had. Guns ‘N’ Roses, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Queen…”

“You know me so well,” Lucas smirked.

“Got you a new pair of boots and sunglasses too, since you said you left yours back home,” Nero said. “Oh, and a leather jacket!”

“Sounds like you spent more on me than yourself,”

“Hey, you know that I’ll take every opportunity I can to spoil you-“ Nero began. There was a knock on the hotel room door, and both teens stiffened.

“Nero, Luke!” Jasmine’s muffled voice called, “I came to return Khione!”

“I got it,” Nero said, and skipped over to the door, pulling it open, “Hey, Jazz!”

“Hello, blondie, where’s Lucas?”

“Eating his ice cream, come on in,” There was a shuffle of footsteps, and the other two members of the team filed in.

“Well, I’ve finished my scans,” Jasmine said, as she set Khione on the bedside table. Khione was different now, not just in terms of looks. Lucas could almost feel the power she was putting off, sitting so close to him, “We already knew she was higher in attack and stamina, but after some research and studying, I’ve concluded she’s five times stronger and could very well outlast Orion in a stamina battle.”

Nero let out a low whistle, “ _Damn_.”

“Defense has improved too, my guess is you could hold your own against… hm, maybe even against Kyoya,” Jasmine continued. “At least, based on my scans, your defensive capabilities are just a bit below his Leone’s.”

“So he could hold his own against Kyoya?” Nero asked, interested.

“Oh for sure,” Jasmine nodded with a smile. She glanced down at Lucas, still sitting on the bed and furrowed her eyebrows, “Uh, Luke?”

Lucas paused with the spoon in his mouth, “Hm?”

“You mean to say you’ve eaten half of the mega chocolate frozen monstrosity and haven’t gotten brain freeze?”

Lucas shrugged, and Nero cackled.

“Oh, he could eat a whole gallon and not be affected. You’ve got a lot to learn,” Nero grinned, and ruffled Jasmine’s black and neon streaked hair. “I’m jealous, actually.”

Jasmine rolled her eyes, but refocused on Lucas, “Any questions about Khione?”

“How soon can I get back to training with her?”

“I’d say you and her both need to rest the rest of the day,” Jasmine said. “You’re a good Blader, but from what I’ve heard, all the Legendary Bladers had to adjust to the new power surge. Maybe tomorrow afternoon, you can challenge King.”

“ _I_ can challenge King?” Lucas raised an eyebrow.

“Okay fine, he’s itching to battle you. And it’ll be good to see how Khione goes against a defense and attack type, so I definitely want to sit in,”

“And don’t think I won’t take a crack at you, either,” Nero pitched in. “I want to see just how powerful you are now.”

“Of course,” Lucas said, lightly. “I’d expect nothing less.”

Jasmine rolled her eyes as the two teens stared at each other, sparks flying, “That’s my cue to leave. Lucas, come get us tomorrow when you’re ready to try out Khione’s new abilities.”

“Thanks Jazz… for everything,” Lucas called as she went for the door. Jasmine paused, before turning and giving him a smile.

“Anytime, Luke. Anytime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, the first of our Elemental Seven has been found!
> 
> Lucas Reynolds, with the element of Water!
> 
> Also, Amy belongs to one of my friends, Warrior.


	9. Episode Nine: A Dragon Hatchling

“Ah, there they are. Hey! Bao! Aguma!”

Nile grinned, hand in the air as he managed to catch the attention of the Chinese team. Or, more accurately, he caught the attention of the towering brunette, who then promptly steered the other three people with him towards Nile and Demure.

“Nile,” Bao greeted first. “Been a while.”

“And at least this time, under better circumstances?” Nile cocked an eyebrow, eyes dancing with mirth. At that, Bao threw his head back and laughed, earning him a look from the black haired girl.

“What are you doing here?” Aguma asked, curious.

“Demure and I came to pick you up, of course,” Nile said. “Taking you to the hotel and then, if you’re up for it, out to dinner. Figured you guys would like to see the sights before we get into the thick of the tournament. Did you guys see the American and EU battle?”

“Also heard about Lucas being the Water elemental,” The second male of the Chinese team piped up. He had dark red hair, darker than Bao’s and blue eyes. He was dressed in a leather jacket and Nile knew that before long, in the heat of Egypt, he’d be shedding it, “And how we can keep an eye out on who are the other Elementals. Evolution, right?”

Nile glanced at Aguma, “He knows?”

“You can’t keep anything from Kenchii,” The black haired girl mumbled.

“Oh, come on Kuro, you love me!”

“Debatable,”

The brown haired girl rolled her eyes, but focused on the person standing behind Nile, “Hi! I’m Xue Wong, the mechanic. You’re Demure, right?”

Demure startled, before smiling and nodding, “I am. I’ve heard you’re pretty talented.”

“Yep, though if you heard it from my twin, he was probably exaggerating,” Xue laughed, as she and Demure shook hands. “I was surprised to hear you being the mechanic for the African team.”

“A hidden talent,” Demure flushed. “I… I have keen eyesight, and after the last World Championships, I started just… playing around with piecing together and pulling apart Beys until I eventually got hired here in Cairo at a shop. Nile vouched for me when the Board was looking for a mechanic.”

“As if there’s anyone better,” Nile said, smirking.

Demure went even more red.

“Anyways, put your bags in the back,” Nile turned, gesturing to the truck sitting on the curb. “A few of you may have to ride in the back. Cab only takes four people.”

“Shotgun!” Kenchii chirped, as he threw his luggage in the bed and then promptly rushed to the passenger door.

“I’ll sit outside,” Kuro volunteered. “Keep me away from that little brat…”

Bao snorted, “No way am I lasting in this heat. I call backseat.”

“Mind if I keep the lovely lady company?” Aguma smirked in Kuro’s direction. Kuro rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything to dissuade him. Aguma seemed to take that at as a yes.

“I’m driving,” Nile deadpanned.

“I’ll keep Bao sane from Kenchii, unless Demure wants the last seat?” Xue glanced at the dark skinned teen.

Demure looked relieved, “I’d rather sit with the quiet ones.”

“In that case, load up and we’ll hit the road,” Nile called, pulling the keys from his pocket. Once everyone was situated and Nile behind the wheel, did the group pull away from the airport.

* * *

“Aren’t we missing someone in our little group?” Kuro asked, surveying the bunch of teens and young adults sitting at the table, “Specifically, aren’t we missing an African team member?”

“Ryuto had a meeting with the Head of Ancient Egyptian Antiquities at the Museum this afternoon,” Nefertiti laughed, quietly. “He’ll be here, he’s just running late. Apparently, they needed his opinion on a new arrival from some dig out in the desert.”

Bao’s eyebrows went up, “You mean he’s actually invested in all that treasure hunting stuff?”

“He’s more than invested in it,” Nefertiti said, sharply. “He’s made a career of it.”

Bao wisely shut his mouth, his eyes flickering to the brunette sitting across from him and picking nervously at her gloves, “… Motti right? I remember you from the Tag Team Tournament. You battled with your brother.”

“Big kitty wasn’t very nice,” Motti pouted, crossing her arms. “Motti didn’t even get to battle!”

“You held your own against Benkei,” Aguma commented. “You were doing fine until Johannes lost his temper.”

“And Kyoya his,” Nefertiti muttered. “Honestly, that man…”

“Shh, Nefertiti, say it to his face, not behind his back,” Nile waved a hand, shushing his sister.

“How do you know Kyoya anyways? I remember you being in Metal City after the whole Nemesis thing, and you seemed pretty close to him,” Bao asked, leaning forward.

Nefertiti picked up the glass of wine just to her left, and took a few sips from it, “Oh, now that’s a story. I know Kyoya through Nile. Nile knows Kyoya because they were team mates on the last African team for the World Championships.”

“Wild Fang, right?” Kenchii mused, “Got all the way to the semi-finals before Gan Gan Galaxy defeated you.”

Nile’s expression twisted. Demure chuckled, shaking his head.

Thankfully, any form of awkwardness or embarrassment was saved by the blur of black, white, and teal that came barreling through the door.

“Hey! I’m not too late, am I?” Ryuto Katashi asked, as he grabbed the final chair, just between Nefertiti and Dynamis.

“Course not,” Nefertiti waved a hand. “We’ve only ordered drinks and appetizers so far. And yes, coke for you but no bread.”

“Least someone listens,” Ryuto grinned, with a pointed look in Nile’s direction. Said Egyptian sniffed.

“Excuse me, but-“ Nile began.

“How did your meeting go, Ryuto? You seem quite excited,” Dynamis interjected, amusement coloring his voice.

“I’m curious to know what’s so exciting about dusty old mummies and a few ancient artifacts,” Kenchii muttered. “Seems all pretty boring to me.”

Bao rolled his eyes, “Shouldn’t have said that.”

“Pretty boring?!” Ryuto exclaimed, eyes wide, “What’s boring about uncovering history?! We learn so much about it, about people’s places and the hierarchy of old dynasties and-“

“Ryuto,” Nefertiti interrupted, amused. “Breathe.”

Kenchii looked fairly bewildered, as Ryuto fell back into his seat with a huff.

“You know,” Kuro drawled, bringing attention to herself. She took a gulp of her water, eyes scanning over the table, before landing on Ryuto, “How’s your brother taking this?”

Nefertiti choked on her wine, dissolving into a fit of coughs. Alarmed, Nile reached over and pat her on the back. Ryuto’s expression became dark and Dynamis- weirdly enough- shared a look with Aguma. Demure ducked his head and seemed to wait for the fireworks.

“My brother,” Ryuto said, calmly- the way Nefertiti and Dynamis reeled away from him should have been a clue that Kuro should leave the subject alone- and sat back in his chair, “Hasn’t even called me to congratulate me getting on the team.”

“Huh,” Kuro mused, golden eyes glittering. “Guess Ryuga thinks he’s too good for you, huh?”

Ryuto barked out a callous laugh, and let his chair fall back down on all four legs, so he could lean over the table and get closer to Kuro, “Let me let you in on a little secret: he thinks everyone is beneath him. The only way he’ll take anyone seriously is if they prove they’re better than him, and then it’s like a personal thing for him to be better at than them just so he can stay at the top.”

“But what does he know about you and your passions?” Kuro smirked, linking her fingers together and settling her chin down on them, “Nothing. You’ve got a leg up on him when it comes to… what exactly, do you do, again?”

“I track down ancient artefacts,” Ryuto answered, seemingly surprised at the question, and the interest. As it was, as he began to talk, the tension bled from his shoulders, “And sometimes I take certain assignments from museums around the world, to find a specific piece or tomb or lost kingdom of some kind. It’s fun, ‘cause I get to travel the world and meet new people.” Yes, Ryuto was definitely relaxing with being able to talk about his life, especially with as attentive as Kuro was being, “I’ve been all over- India, Mexico, Egypt, Greece- hunting down stories and objects of the old times.”

“You know your history, then?” Kuro cocked an eyebrow.

“More like I know my treasure,” Ryuto replied with a smirk.

As Kuro and Ryuto continued to converse, Nefertiti leaned over to speak quietly to Bao, “How did she do that?”

“How did she do what?” Bao asked, sipping at his water.

“Talk him up to a near eight and then get him back down to a three,” Nefertiti sounded bewildered. “I’ve not been able to do that yet.”

Bao smirked, “One of Kuro’s many talents. She picked up a few things during her own travels. If I had to guess, Nefertiti, this is only a preview to what tomorrow’s Q-and-A panel will bring.”

* * *

“Why am I here?”

“Because Kyoya dragged you here,”

“No, I know that, but lion boy over here has yet to give me the exact reason he dragged me away from my desk,”

“Real original, Ryuga,” Kyoya drawled. “You’re losing your touch when it comes to insults.”

“Don’t try me, kit-kat,”

“Hm, that reminds me, I should go shopping after I get off work this evening…”

Tsubasa sighed as Kyoya and Ryuga began to bicker, but even he couldn’t deny his interest, “Really, Kyoya, I want to know too. Why are we here? There’s paperwork to be done, you know.”

“Eh, we’ve got thirty minutes before we clock out, live a little, Tsubasa,” Kyoya waved a hand. “Besides. The next Q-and-A panel is about to start. I figured we could watch it.”

Ryuga squinted, “Japan’s first match isn’t until next week.”

“This isn’t about Japan,”

“Then what is it about?”

The tv hung on the breakroom wall flashed a bright color, and Kyoya smirked instead of answering. He raised the volume up on the tv as the Egyptian DJ began to speak.

“Welcome, welcome, one and all to our lovely city of Cairo! For the next while, we’ll be asking questions of the two teams that’ll be duking it out tomorrow, as well as getting know the team members themselves, if we’re lucky!” The DJ grinned at the camera, “So first, let’s introduce the visiting team- From China, let’s hear it for Team Breaking Dawn! Aguma Ji, Bao Blackheart, Kuro Blackheart, Kenchi Heixin, and Xue Wang!”

Cameras flashed as the Chinese team walked out on to the stage and took their seats. Xue and Kenchi were the only two that were giving the reporters any reaction, smiling and waving, while the other three members simply took their seats.

“And the home team of Africa, let’s hear it for Team Shockwave!” The room erupted into applause, “Dynamis Hikari, Nefertiti Storm, Ryuto Katashi, Motti Wilde, and Demure LaCroix!”

Tsubasa sighed, and settled into the chair next to Kyoya. Said man was looking both interested and vindictive, a strange sight to behold on Kyoya’s face. Reluctantly, Ryuga also took a seat.

“I know what you’re doing,” Tsubasa muttered to Kyoya, so only the Leone Blader could hear.

Kyoya adopted an innocent look, and raised an eyebrow as if to say, ‘Who, me?’

Tsubasa sighed again.

“So, now that we have our teams settled in,” DJ’s voice snapped Tsubasa back to the moment at hand. “Let’s begin!”

The reporters erupted into a frenzy and were only quieted when the first person spoke.

“Ah,” Nefertiti leaned into her mic. “Please. Mrs. Storm was my mother. Call me Nefertiti. What’s your question, dear?”

The camera flicked around to a young woman dressed in a sharp suit. She looked a bit sheepish, but she cleared her throat and plowed on, “Miss Nefertiti, our records indicate that the last tournament you competed in was over seven years ago! Are you not concerned that your skills may be lacking and you could potentially bring down your team?”

Nefertiti raised an eyebrow, “My last official tournament was about eight years ago, wasn’t it?” She shook her head, “I’ll admit, when I entered the qualifiers, I was apprehensive. Honestly, I only entered to be another number for the grand scheme of things. I never anticipated I would get a spot on this team, especially when I’m just under the age limit to be competing. But, while I haven’t competed, I have kept up my training, in some ways. The last World Championships, for example, was almost five years ago, and I helped my brother train for it. Likewise, he’s helped me train for this one since I got the slot on the team. Every Blader can one day have, how you said… ‘lacking skills’, but all it takes is a little bit of effort to get back where one wants to be.”

The reporter smiled and took the answer for what it was.

“Next question!” DJ boomed, and the reporters clamored to heard over each other again, “Yes! You there, sir!”

“My question is for Kuro,” The male reporter spoke as the crowd quieted.

“I’m listening,” Kuro drawled, sounding bored.

“Are you concerned about your coming battle with Mister Katashi? He is, after all, the younger brother of the renowned Dragon Emperor. And, honestly, a bit of a wild card in the fact that not only did he enter last minute for this entire tournament, but also the fact that no one really knows much about how he battles!”

There was a beat of silence, as the camera caught Kuro just staring at the reporter, blank faced. Next to her, Bao looked nervous, eyeing his sister with concern.

“How is that supposed to concern me?” Kuro finally scoffed, “He’s a Blader, is he not? Win or lose, it doesn’t matter about his skills or who he’s related to.” She narrowed her eyes, a dangerous look on someone who visually looked intimidating, “Why don’t you stop beating around the bush and just ask the question that you’re really wanting to put out?”

The reporter looked uncomfortable. He glanced around the room, but no one else was speaking, just staring at him.

“Cat got your tongue?” Kuro rolled her eyes, and leaned back in her chair to peer behind her teammates’ backs and down the line, “Hey, Ryuto. I think this guy is concerned over weather or not you’ll be the sadistic, power hungry bastard your brother is known to be.”

“To be fair,” A random reporter spoke up. “I’d wager a guess as to think we all are.”

“As if,” Ryuto muttered, bitterly. Clearly, he hadn’t meant to be heard, but the microphones picked up sound very well. Ryuto jerked back, wide eyed, as his comment sparked another flurry of questions, this time, directed at him.

It was… well, it wasn’t comical, but it was amusing to see the difference between Ryuto and Ryuga, Tsubasa mused. Whereas Ryuga wouldn’t give anyone the time of day in an instance such as this, Ryuto looked very much overwhelmed, even closer to a panicked animal backed into a corner.

And what happened to animals that got cornered?

They snap back.

And that’s exactly what Ryuto did.

_BANG!_ The sudden noise startled even Tsubasa, and silenced the crowd. Ryuto had slammed his hands down on the table, and was now slowly standing from his chair.

“Let me make one thing perfectly clear for you _idiots_ ,” Ryuto began, voice low, simmering with frustration. “I. Am. _Not_. Ryuga. I have never been Ryuga, and I will never be like him. My darling brother,” Ryuto fixed the crowd with a glare. “Was brainwashed by a power-hungry maniac to do his bidding. Because of the influence of the Dark Power, he turned into the person you all remember him to be. But the Ryuga I remember, the Ryuga _I_ know…” Ryuto faltered, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, before continuing, “He’s strong willed, passionate, and never afraid to meet his opponents head on. He doesn’t let other people do his dirty work, he’s willing to do it himself. He’d never abandon those who need his help, though he may make them work for it. He’s loyal, and determined, and that Ryuga… that’s who I remember, and _that’s_ who I aspire to be.”

With that, Ryuto turned and walked off stage before anyone else could another word in. There was a second’s pause, before Nefertiti stood and followed, and then Kuro of all people also went after them.

“I, uh,” Bao cleared his throat as he began to stand. “Believe that’ll be all the questions for today. Thank you.”

Tsubasa turned to Kyoya as DJ tried to get the crowd under control. In turn, Kyoya was staring at Ryuga with a pointed look on his face. Ryuga was staring at the tv with a blank look. After a moment of silence, Kyoya spoke.

“Again,” Kyoya drawled. “He called me for advice about entering the tournament. It should have been you.”

Ryuga didn’t answer. Instead, he stood up, and walked out of the room.

Kyoya turned to Tsubasa, “Before you say anything… I swear, there’s a method to my madness.”

“So long as I see that method before it blows up in all our faces, I’ll leave you to it,” Was all Tsubasa said in response.

* * *

Being a benefactor to some of the many exhibits at the Cairo Museum had its perks, Ryuto reflected. Unrestricted access to the things that went on behind the scenes, knowing the board of directors…

Being able to sink oneself into the past and not have to worry about the present.

“Mister Katashi,” Ardeth said, amused as he snapped Ryuto out of his thoughts. “Your phone has been buzzing for quite some time now. Should you answer it?”

“Eh, it’s probably just my friends,” Ryuto waved a hand at the curator. “Worried about me, after this morning’s interview. I’m fine, really, I can just-“ He cut off as he glanced at his phone, and saw the caller ID.

It’d been over a month since he’d spoken to his brother, and that was only because Ryuga had given him the information about the Elemental Seven and Nyx.

“Your pause suggests to me that perhaps it is something more than just friends wanting to make sure about your wellbeing,” Ardeth said, knowingly. “We can continue this meeting later, dear boy.”

“I- no, it’s fine, I can just call him back later-“ Ryuto tried, but quieted at Ardeth’s look.

“My dear boy,” Ardeth patted Ryuto on the shoulder. “Never deny a family member looking to make amends. While it may seem scary, I can assure you, there’s never any harm in letting them try.”

With that, the man breezed out of the conference room, and left Ryuto to stare at his still buzzing phone. He swallowed, thickly, as he picked it up and answered the call. He didn’t say anything, just kept the phone to his ear. Eventually, Ryuga spoke first.

“Ryuto… are you good to talk for a while?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos to those who recognize any Easter eggs of the '99 movie, The Mummy!


	10. Episode Ten: The Lightning King

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to today’s round of the World Championships! We’ve got our home team, Team Shockwave of Africa, ready to go, but are the challengers, Team Breaking Dawn of China, up to the challenge? Well, instead of asking these pointless questions, how about we just see for ourselves! Our first match of the day, two powerhouses of the Legendary Bladers, You know them, and you love them! From Team Shockwave, we have _Dynamis Hikari_!"

The crowd's screaming was deafening, even to the DJ's ears. He chuckled a little, watching as Dynamis strode to his side of the replaced stadium.

"And from Team Breaking Dawn, the one, the only _Aguma Ji_!"

There was a high mix of booing and cheering as Aguma walked down.

"You know this battle is going to be a good one, so let's get right to it! Three!"

"Two!" Both Bladers readied themselves for battle.

"One! Let it... rip!"

"Kronos!"

"Jupiter!"

"Duck!"

Nefertiti, Nile, Ryuto, and Demure all ducked at Demure's order. Thankfully they did, or they would have been hit with a chunk of stadium.

"What the ever loving-" Ryuto started, as they popped back over the rail. The dust cleared, revealing the fact that the stadium had been turning into a rocky terrain.

"Perfect," Aguma smirked. "I'm sorry, Dynamis, but I'm afraid you will not win today."

"We shall see," Dynamis said. "Jupiter!"

"Kronos, Great Ring of Destruction!" Aguma yelled, and Kronos pulsed, the wind beginning to whip around the stadium, and pulling the debris of the stadium into the gales.

Jupiter was forced back.

"Aha! Jupiter doesn't have the low center of gravity needed to get under those rings!" Bao exclaimed.

"Yowza!" The DJ shouted, "There it is folks! The great planet of Saturn, right in our own stadium! You can't help but feel the power, even from a distance!"

Aguma smirked, "Alright Dynamis... what will you do now?"

Dynamis frowned, obviously thinking. He regarded the twisting rings of stone before him, before a slow smirk spread over his face.

"Jupiter!" He cried, and everyone watched as Jupiter swung up the side of the stadium and into the air, before falling back down.

"Really, Dynamis, that won't work- wait. What are you-"

Jupiter landed on one of the pieces of debris that Kronos' wind had brought up, and had begun to hop from surface to surface, closer and closer to Kronos. Finally, it launched off of one of the pieces of debris and into the air directly above Kronos.

"Jupiter, Grand Lightning!" Dynamis yelled.

"Kronos, Reaper's Swing!" Aguma shouted.

"Duck!" Demure called again, as once again, debris flew into the air from the force of both special moves colliding. As if it wasn't enough, the forms of both Jupiter and Kronos appeared in the arena, Zeus calling down the lightning from above as Kronos swung his scythe from above. An explosion shook the ground, along with an earsplitting _CRACK_! as the just replaced stadium broke apart from the force of the attacks.

"Whoops," Kuro muttered, sounding faintly amused. She stared into the dust, even as Bao, Xue, and Da Xiang covered their faces.

Bao sweatdropped at his sister's reaction, or _lack_ of reaction.

The dust began to clear, and people rose from where they had ducked for cover to see the result.

" _And Aguma wins it!_ " The African DJ shouted, as the Chinese team erupted into cheers.

Dynamis smiled a little as he knelt to retrieve his fallen Bey, "A good battle, my friend."

"Even if it was short," Aguma commented, as he called Kronos back into his open palm. "I expected it to be a little longer."

Dynamis shrugged, "It was not the will of the heavens today. Perhaps next time."

Aguma rolled his eyes, and turned away. On the team platform, Xue and Kenchii were cheering and applauding, while Bao and Kuro had their heads bowed, conversing with each other.

“-saying is, don’t traumatize the guy,” Bao was saying, when Aguma reached the landing. “You remember yesterday, don’t you? And when they took us out to dinner?”

“All I’m hearing is that you’re telling me to go easy on him,” Kuro drawled in response. “Sorry, Bao, but you might have reservations, but I don’t.”

“I’m not saying go easy on him!” Bao sighed and shook his head, “I’m saying don’t taunt him with his flaws like you do with most people.”

“… But that’s fun,” Kuro nearly pouted.

“ _Kuro_ ,” Bao fixed his sister with a glare.

“Alright, fine, how about this: Unless he gives me a reason otherwise, I won’t press his buttons?” Kuro suggested.

“… That’s the best I’m going to get from you, so fine,” Bao sighed.

“You can’t win ‘em all,” Aguma patted his friend on the shoulder.

“You guys are weird,” Kenchii said, boggled.

“You get used to it,” Xue shrugged, typing away at her computer. “Now, Kuro-“

“Dragonis is a high attack power Bey with limited defense and stamina,” Kuro interrupted, crossing her arms. “Fernis is a high attack type with mediocre defense. Is that what you were going to tell me?”

“… Sometimes you scare me,”

“Join the club,” Bao muttered.

“And you’ve probably already got a plan on how to win?” Aguma raised an eyebrow.

“Duh,” Kuro shrugged, grinning. “You know me so well, big guy.”

“Moving on to our next battle, ladies and gentlemen!” DJ caught their attention, “From our home representatives, Team Shockwave, let’s here it for Ryuto Katashi!”

The crowd erupted into thunderous applause and cheers, and Ryuto looked startled. Still, with a broad grin and a brief wave to the crowd, he rushed down to the dish.

“And from the visiting team, Breaking Dawn, Kuro Blackheart!”

The cheering wasn’t as enthusiastic as it had been for Ryuto’s introduction, but Kuro hadn’t expected anything less. The home team was always the one to cheer for, after all.

Though, Kuro mused, as she made her way down. Something’s different. Ryuto’s different. Something’s happened in the last twenty four hours that’s affected him. The question is, what? He doesn’t seem as apprehensive as he was yesterday. He seems more confident in himself…

Kuro pushed the thoughts away. Bao would say she was being paranoid, but Kuro knew she wasn’t. She’d seen from the moment the African team had stepped out, how Ryuto was standing with a straighter stance, with his shoulders set back and chin raised. While before, she may have gone into this battle knowing she had an easy win… Now, she couldn’t say for certain who’s game it was.

Ryuto, unknowingly, had turned this battle into his favor, and they hadn’t even begun yet.

* * *

Ryuga had kept one eye on the tv the entire afternoon, since someone had turned on the World Championships. The round of the African and Chinese team was creating quite a buzz in the office, and not much work was being done.

Heck, Kakeru had decided to come up from training and hang out with Kyoya in the last couple of hours of the work day, and Kyoya hadn’t told him off. Normally, the Leone Blader was very insistent that Kakeru not visit and distract him while on shift, but apparently exceptions could be made.

 _It was a rather surreal scene_ , Tsubasa reflected. _How a single tournament could cause such a shift._

“Oh, hey, Ryuto and Kuro are about to battle!” Kakeru suddenly exclaimed, eyes on the tv that hung on the wall. And just like that, what little attention Kyoya and Ryuga had on their paperwork was gone.

Tsubasa hid a smile behind a sip of his coffee, and turned his own gaze to the television.

“One! Let it rip!”

A streak of blue-white and silver shot into the Bey dish. One, the right rotating Dragonis, and the other, the left rotating Fernis.

Instead of either Blader taking even a second to think about their options, they met first in a head on attack with each other. A bright light lit up the screen, an explosion that echoed in the room. Someone inhaled sharply, and Tsubasa was unsurprised when his coworkers began muttering about bets.

“Without wasting a second, our two Bladers are engaging in combat!” DJ began, “Two Bladers, fighting to get that next win in, and I can hardly tell- who will it be?!”

“Fernis! Get ‘em!”

“Dragonis!”

The cameras flashed to the dish, just in time to see Fernis try to ram into Dragonis, only for the aquamarine Bey shimmer and then flash out of existence. Kuro’s mildly impressed expression filled the screen.

“Not bad,” Kuro commented. “You know both yourself and your opponent.”

“Dragonis has disappeared, leaving Fernis at a loss of what to do! What will Kuro do, if she can’t see her opponent?!”

Kuro smirked. It wasn’t a pleasant look.

“Show yourself now, and I’ll go easy on you,” Kuro called to Ryuto.

“Really, you mean to say what you lead with was you going easy on me?” Ryuto fired back, “I’m not sure I want to find out what you’re like when you get serious in a battle.”

Kuro stared him down, blank faced.

“Someone needs to tell Ryuto he’s tempting fate,” Kyoya muttered.

Kakeru nodded in agreement, wide eyed, “Kuro’s about to go off…”

“Death Fernis! Special Move, Deafening Howl!” Kuro called the first move of the match.

“And Kuro calls the first move! Fernis releases a round of high powered winds in an attempt to find Dragonis- but take a look! Dragonis is nowhere in the dish? Where in the world could she be?”

A look of apprehension crossed Kuro’s face. Ryuto smirked, cocking a hip and crossing his arms.

“If it’s not on the ground, and not with the Blader…” Tsubasa mused.

“Dragonis! Special Move, Lightning Strike!”

“Then it’s in the air!” Kakeru cheered, “Right on!”

“Fernis, meet the attack!” Kuro shouted, and Fernis’ spirit appeared- a black wolf with glowing white eyes- in a flash of silver light, before snarling leaping into the air.

Dragonis roared, electricity crackling around her as she folded her wings and dived to meet Fernis. A mid air collision happened, a blinding explosion filling the television screen. The audio crackled, feedback causing several of the spectators surrounding the television to flinch.

“Talk about a light show!” DJ announced, “I can’t tell who survived that- wait! The dust is clearing… Look at that! Both Bladers are still standing!”

Kyoya let out a low whistle, “Holy cow. Kuro survived an attack from above?”

“Fernis’ defensive abilities are statistically better than Dragonis’,” Ryuga pointed out, smirking proudly. “Besides, Ryuto had the upper hand, blindsiding her like that.”

“Nice try,” Kuro was saying. “But not good enough! Go now, Fernis! Shadowclaw Uppercut!”

On screen, Fernis slammed into Dragonis, beginning a barrage attack that pushed the dragon Bey closer and closer to the edge of the dish with every strike.

“How do you like this- nowhere to run without risking your stamina!” Kuro shouted across the way, “Just go ahead and give in!” Her smirk turned nearly feral, “After all, if you’re not like Ryuga, you would’ve already run, isn’t that right?”

The silence in the office was suffocating, as all eyes turned to said Dragon Emperor. The man’s eyes were flashing dangerously at Kuro’s statement.

“Keep talking, pup,” Ryuga drawled. “We’ll see if you’re still barking by the end of the battle.”

* * *

Ryuto went still, at Kuro’s words. Below, Fernis continued to batter Dragonis towards the edge, reaching for a stadium out.

That was, until Ryuto straightened his spine. Below, Dragonis stopped dead, and the next time Fernis came to slam into the aquamarine Bey, she rebounded and went flying back through the air.

“The hell?!” Kuro exclaimed.

“Dragonis, Hammer Bolt!”

“And there’s Ryuto’s signature move, ladies and gentlemen! Will this be enough to end it?!”

“You wish!” Kuro barked, “Fernis!”

“Dragonis!” Ryuto shouted back.

And just like that, the two Beys unleashed their ferocious attack power, meeting head on in collision after collision. Neither Blader backed down from one another, their Beys responding to their fierce wills.

 _Not today_ , Ryuto thought. _I’m not going to lose. I **can’t** lose…_

In the dish, Dragonis began to glow in response to Ryuto’s thoughts and determination.

“Fernis, send him flying!” Kuro roared, and everyone watched as Fernis tilted, and then managed to get a ridge of her warrior wheel under Dragonis’ own, before slinging Ryuto’s partner into the air.

“Dragonis!” Ryuto shouted.

“Now, Fernis! Special Move, Death Jaws!”

Something clicked within Ryuto’s mind, his bond with Dragonis wide open as a new ability unfurled within the mind’s eye. A rush of power surged through Ryuto’s veins, and he took a deep breath. His Blader’s Spirit roared to life around him, a brilliant blue- white aura and he threw his hand out towards the sky.

“Omega Dragonis! Ultimate Move, Flight of the Dragon!”

Lightning crackled through the air, before a flare of bright, white light had everyone looking away, or risk being blinded. There was an explosion as Dragonis and Fernis made contact, and then…

There was silence, as the light and noise faded. There were two clinks that sounded through the air.

Ryuto felt… different. More powerful. He turned his gaze back to the dish, as the last of the dust settled.

“ _There it is, ladies and gentlemen! Ryuto wins it!_ ” DJ shouted, his voice cutting through the tension in the air.

Kuro fell to her knees, eyes wide in shocked as she stared down at her own fallen partner, “Wha… but… how-“

Ryuto didn’t answer. Inhaling deeply, fighting off the nervous energy that threatened to cause his hands to shake, Ryuto summoned Dragonis into his palm…

And that’s when he noticed. He found himself staring, shock and awe causing him to shudder.

Dragonis had evolved.

Ryuto fainted on the spot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i reference percy jackson with the title of the episode? the world may never know


End file.
